Light Refraction
by AmaryllisMoth
Summary: (AU) The Princess of the Seven Gardens had quite enough to worry about already, thank you very much. What kind of unconventional knights were these two, anyway? Never before had things been so against tradition. Or so exciting. But would the kingdom survive such an upheaval? And would she ever be able to break free from the past that haunts her every step?
1. Ch 1: Can't take the heat

"You're...sure that he doesn't have a title?"

"Quite sure."

The large lexicon snapped shut, revealing a young face partially hidden behind swaths of drooping bluish grey locks. Ienzo's age was young, but there was a heavy sense of experience and intellect resting below the stormy waters of his eyes. He was always quietly observing this or that and scribbling down notes in his books. His work was accurate, concise and immaculately organized. There was no questioning why he was in charge of the extensive collection of records, or the information contained within.

That didn't stop the princess from being suspicious. _Everyone_ had a title. Even the cat.

"And remind me, the other knight of the pair is..."

Ienzo reopened the heavy book to scan for the information before answering. "He is known as The Gallant Dawnbreaker. High marks across the board in performance. Has a reputation for being balanced, fair and calm under pressure. Slight tactical prowess and remarkably strong scores in wit."

"That's impressive and all that, but what's his _name_."

"Does it matter?"

The Princess huffed through her slightly clenched teeth. Yes of course it mattered. What was she supposed to do, just spend all day referring to them as 'hey you' and 'other one'?

Besides, it was just so...unusual. One knight, on paper at least, seemed to be remarkably exceptional. The other...remarkably _un_ remarkable.

"I still don't quite understand how-"

"Would it help for me to repeat myself, Your Highness? The first knight you chose at the ceremony, is completely average in all respects. In fact, he failed the knight exam on his first attempt but returned the next year to complete it. Has never scored at the top of his class in any measure, and the only real notable statement given about him is his usefulness in taking odd watch shifts because he can fall asleep just about anywhere, any time. Not a particularly...admirable skill, but a skill nonetheless."

"And...he _is_ a Master rank, right?"

"...barely, but it wasn't my decision to make."

She tried to puzzle this all out. Most knights got a title after showcasing their usefulness in some grand display of civic duty. The titles indicated something that stood out in their actions, words or techniques. She remembered her previous guard, Aeleus, had the title The Silent Hero because of how he flawlessly rescued a whole group of children trapped on one of the floating rocks without ever saying a word. Dilan, her other guard, was known as The Whirlwind Lancer because of his swift, efficient weapon strikes and ability to wield several of those long deadly poles at once; a feat that helped him defend the kingdom from a stampede of beasts rampaging across the valley. How could one complete enough trials to be worthy of master rank and not stand out in any way? It bordered on the impossible.

"How is he a Master if he hasn't-"

Ienzo anticipated her question, and tapped at some of his notes on the page. "According to the records, he was granted a pass on the civic duty requirement not because of completing some lone grand trial, as is typical, but because of his consistent and unwavering assistance to his fellow knights and the people of the Gardens."

She understood what this likely meant. "So...he has never done anything on his own? Just helped everyone else?"

"That would be a reasonable conclusion, yes."

Oh.

She tried to remember back to yesterdays events, wondering if or where she had gone wrong.

* * *

The summer air was unusually humid.

She tried fanning herself for a while, but gave up soon after realizing that batting around stale air was more trouble than it was worth. This whole event was all so...pointless. And considering the weather today, cruel.

Her eyes traced the courtyard below her balcony, occupied by multitudes of sweating, suffering knights, forced to showcase their talents in full regal armor.

Because this is what _tradition_ dictated _,_ after all.

Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla, Princess of the Seven Gardens, Duchess of the Floating Isles and Bearer of the Light Refraction was most displeased. No, not because she was uncomfortable in her overly garish restrictive sweat-factory of a dress, but because...well, if _she_ was feeling faint, up in her shaded balcony, all of those poor souls under the direct heat, in heavy armor, must be suffering all the more. Having to sit and watch them struggle for her sake without being able to help made her cross.

And, okay, she was also cross about the dress.

She glanced furtively over to her father. Were it not for his equally gaudy outfit for the occasion, his absolute stoic stillness would have made him blend into the back of his throne. How he could sit there in all those layers of thick velvet without at least squirming had her both envious and in awe. But more than anything she wished he would just put a stop to this whole thing.

Was it _really_ necessary to show off all the knights with Master rank like they were treats on a platter? In this weather, no less?

She opened her mouth to try and voice her concerns, but saw her father's eyes snap in her direction, silencing her before the silence was even broken. She clamped her mouth shut and nodded, diverting her eyes back to her lap.

He was still so intimidating. All her titles, all the power everyone told her she was supposed to hold, and it meant nothing under the threatening gaze of her father.

She turned another sympathetic eye down towards the knights, still parading. How was she supposed to make her selection like this? Every single one of them was just like the other. All highly qualified, highest rank, highly recommended, yadda-de blah-blah. She would have been perfectly happy keeping her old personal guards around for a while longer.

Aeleus wasn't a very talkative guy, and kind of startled her a few times when she hadn't realized he had been standing just behind her because of how absolutely quiet he was. No matter how many conversations she tried to strike up, how much she tried learning about his family, his interests, anything, she was met with nods and one word answers. She figured this was probably why her father liked him so much. The other of the pair, Dilan, was a bit more stern. He liked to chastise her about things, read her the rules when she broke them. Otherwise he neglected to reveal anything personal about himself, either. Despite that, she hadn't really had any _definable_ complaints about them, so it was a bit of a shock when she was told she had to change guards.

Because of _tradition_ again. What else was new? Oh right, nothing.

Something about switching the position of her personal guard frequently enough to prevent her from committing favoritism among the knights.

 _Because I'm supposed to think of them as tools, not people_ she thought bitterly, clenching up fistfuls of fabric from one of her layers of skirt.

And that was probably why, like good little toys, they were forced to spin around for her amusement in the heat below without letting her get close to them, even _talk_ to them. Just bark orders and watch them run. It was sickening and she hated it.

She couldn't make out their faces under their visors, and the uniformly fit uniforms made it impossible to tell them apart much anyway. The only real distinction was a different colored band around their arm. The idea, she supposed, was that she could choose the ones that impressed her completely impartially. Yet they all moved in unison, well practiced and trained. What could stand out like that?

Almost as an answer to her thoughts, she noticed one of the knights, wearing a red and black plaid band, began to stumble a little in the dirt. She gasped, worried he might be suddenly collapsing from heat stroke.

But rather than fall, the knight did a quick forward roll, a shuffle step and melted back indiscriminately in line. She smiled, partially relieved that he was alright, but also a bit amused at the acrobatics.

Something was very different about that knight, but she couldn't figure out what. He didn't look any different. Apart from that fall save back there he wasn't doing anything different, either. Maybe he was a bit shorter than some of the others, but…

A long trumpet sound. She stood up, recognizing the signal. All of the knights were now standing in long queue lines, facing the wall below her and her father's balcony. Four lines, six knights in each line. She knew she was meant to choose only one row of six to move on to the next demonstration, dismissing the others. Every time before she had always just played a game of pick-a-petal until she settled on a line at random.

Under her breath, she recited the rhyme, moving her finger across the lanes with every other word, waiting to see where it would land.

"Pick a petal from your hat, if you don't know where you're at, let it go and watch it fall, this one stands above them all."

Her finger hovered to a stop over the second line in the formations. It didn't seem like a bad line. None of them did. She had no reason to regret her choice, on where her finger landed. But something didn't quite sit well with her.

She glanced at the lines and noticed the knight from before, with the red band, was standing in the third one, just next to where her finger had landed. But most definitely _not_ where her finger had landed.

There was really no reason to change.

That knight was no different from the others.

She had always chosen this way, and had given no thought to it. Her whole life was dedicated to traditions and their upkeep and this was her own personal one she actually liked.

But...

Her finger trembled.

She took a deep breath and recited aloud her decision.

"Line...three, please. Thank you everyone else for your kind demonstrations and hard work today."

She bowed formally, then dropped quickly back down into her chair. One of her attendants rushed over.

"Are you alright, Princess? You look quite flushed."

"It's just...the heat..."

She had barely finished speaking before another was offering her a drink. She took it gratefully, but noticed the shaking of her hand was also making the goblet tremble. She nodded to the attendants in dismissal and gripped the cup in her hands to try and calm herself.

Why did she go against her rhyme? There was simply no reason to. There was also no reason to get worked up over it. After all, this whole thing was for her to pick who she liked. For once there weren't any rules about how she was to come up with her decision. She just had to point and declare it and it was done.

 _It doesn't mean anything_. She told herself.

But she didn't really believe it.

She avoided checking in the direction of her stony father's countenance. If he knew she had broken a tradition, even one as silly as a finger rhyme she made up herself, he would be livid. Rather than fear, she felt excitement bubbling up inside of her and she sat up a little higher in her chair.

The knights had now switched to combat demonstrations, but she already knew that they were all impressive. If they weren't, they wouldn't be here. It was set up a bit like a competition, with the now six remaining knights dueling each other. The winning three would be the final three candidates, of which she would choose two.

All she had to do was wait patiently for them to finish their sparring and then this would soon be over. However, as the sun continued to wear down on the castle below, she started questioning her sense of victory from before.

There was no sense in getting excited about the two new guards she would get to meet, who would be soon spending every waking moment with her, because it always ended one of three ways: silence, one word answers, or stiff awkwardness. Take your pick from the lot of them because one certainly wasn't any better than the others. They were all afraid of even a smidgen of interaction with her, like she was some fragile thing made of glass that could be broken with a stiff look. After all, she was just a precious, beautiful porcelain doll that was displayed on a shelf because she was too delicate to be played with, and had long since resigned herself to that fate. No physical touch from anyone. Not even her father. Even in emergencies or when she fell ill, others were forced to wear gloves to interact with her. To slip up in this regard was to be punished severely.

She never wanted that to happen to anyone. And no one else seemed too fond of finding out how severe the punishment would be.

It's no wonder all the guards she had ever met had distanced themselves from her as much as possible. There was absolutely no proof that this knight she had ear-marked from all the others was any different. How stupid of her to get excited.

She tried to suppress her frustrations, but it was getting harder and harder under the heat.

 _I just need to distract myself, that's all._

She let her mind wander to what she had to look forward to today. Errands. More errands. There was water to bless, flowers to tend, etiquette classes, but after that, after all that she would be free.

 _Maybe I'll go Wyvern riding._

Something like that certainly sounded good. Especially if it would get her out of the palace for a while. She tried to make it sound exciting in her head to pump herself up, but it really wasn't working too well.

A trumpet sounded, and a voice called out a color. Blue.

One of the matches was already decided: a knight with a dark navy blue cloth had won out over one of green. He had forced his opponent outside of the circle. Nothing too exciting there. When a winner was decided, the victor stepped over to the front to wait, while the other joined the ranks standing at attention at the back. This was all done without fanfare, without even any acknowledgment beyond the lone trumpet call and a statement of color.

That was why, when she saw the red knight giving the victor a congratulatory clap and cheer, it confirmed something she had already been suspicious of. That knight was very different.

The odd one returned his attention to his own match. His opponent, wearing a yellow band, certainly wasn't letting up. The third pair of competitors, who she wasn't too interested in, was a knight with a silver color versus a knight with an orange one.

She...really wanted the red knight to win. But feeling that way honestly made her a little guilty.

 _I'm sure Mr. Yellow is just as qualified..._

But try as she might to return to impartiality there was a truth glaring her in the face. That knight with the red plaid armband was the only one she had ever seen flash even the tiniest bit of personality. It made him seem so much more…

There was another quick trumpet blare and by the color announced it was clear the orange knight from the other pair was the winner. She glanced to the red knight expectantly and, again, he cheerfully stopped fighting for a moment to give a clap to his comrade.

But his opponent must have been expecting him to do this. The yellow knight charged forwards with a stunningly fast dive, and before the red knight could react he was struck heavily against his side. He twisted nimbly, catching himself with his hand against the ground, skidding to a halt just before the circle's edge. The yellow knight seemed particularly upset about this and, taking advantage of having his opponents head so close to the dirt, scuffed a whole lot of it right towards his face.

The knights were wearing full helmets with visors, for this event in particular, but that wouldn't block the dust from getting in. Blinded, the red knight was trying to simultaneously block the furious onslaught of his opponent that continued trying to force him out of the ring and clear the dirt from his eyes, but he was visibly struggling to do so.

Kairielis felt the goblet shaking again, as she looked helplessly down from above.

 _Why doesn't anyone do anything? That's so unfair..._

She wanted to shout out for them to halt, to at least let him clear out the dirt, but before she could say a word, in one swift motion the red knight reached up, yanked the visor off his head, wiped his eyes and dodged out from under the yellow knight. His opponent fell forward from his own momentum, sending him across the circle and out of bounds.

But the princess barely noticed.

Instead, she was staring at the only one on the courtyard below to be without a helmet. His hair was a mess of untamed spikes, matted down slightly with sweat and dust yet still somehow jutting out at nearly every angle.

And she somehow felt like she knew him.

But that was impossible.

The trumpeter blew the horn and started to announce the color, but only got as far as 're' before the yellow one came charging back into the circle and interrupted him with a bellowing cry. The boy with the unruly spiked hair didn't even see the attack coming, and was knocked hard to the ground.

The yellow knight continued to attack, kicking at his former opponent as he tried to stand back up. Before the yellow knight could land a third or fourth blow, the winner of the first match with the navy blue band shoved him aside. He stood between the red and the yellow, shielding the former from any more abuse.

Kairielis breathed a sigh of relief, glad that at least someone was finally offering help. The blue knight turned and knelt down by his comrade on the ground who accepted the hand offered to him gratefully. Both stood back up together.

It was a simple action, but there was something so kind and warm between the two of them. She wasn't so sure the yellow knight noticed, or even cared.

Throwing his sword to the ground, he gestured furiously to the one who was now being shielded by his ally in blue.

"Disqualified! He should be disqualified immediately! The rules say we aren't to remove our-"

"And who are _you_ to talk about rules!?" The blue knight offered a clean riposte. "Your techniques were a far cry from a fair or respectable engagement."

"On a battle field there _is_ no fair! I did what I had to do to win."

"Doesn't look like you won to me." The blue knight retorted sharply, leaving the yellow one spluttering.

"You might question it, but I broke no rules in the process, unlike this _punk_! In fact, he wouldn't even _be_ here if you weren't there to squeak him by all the examinations. Don't think I didn't notice that you-"

"He earned everything he has. You have no right to question that." The blue knight said this so calmly it was almost chilling.

"I-it's okay, really..."

The knight without a visor finally spoke and Kairielis tensed. His voice was a lot softer, kinder than she was expecting. Most knights were...gruff, is probably the nicest way to put it.

"He's right, I shouldn't have taken this thing off. Why don't we try a rematch then? Just so it's fai-"

"Screw you! I already won by default!"

Now without a sword, the yellow knight rushed forward, arms swinging. The blue knight immediately pushed him back.

"Touch him and you have to deal with me, too."

The knights struggled against each other, the shouting becoming louder and less intelligible the more voices began to join into the fray.

"Stop!"

She screamed this so loudly it startled even her.

The courtyard froze beneath her as she ordered, all the players in this elaborate but pointless demonstration waiting for her to speak. Her hands clutched at the cold stone wall and she felt herself trembling even more than before.

Something fluttered to life inside her chest. She didn't know if it was the heat, or something else that made her whole body feel impossibly magnetized and heavy, almost like the hands of fate itself were pressing down on her from above. Despite the invisible weight, she straightened and cleared her throat.

"I have decided who I want."

* * *

Kairielis shifted uneasily in her chair and sighed again. Maybe she really had chosen poorly. That was what the advisers had tried to convince her of. But she had the final say, and refused to back down. Still, even if this red knight was lacking in some areas, surely it wouldn't matter too much? Things had never been more peaceful in the Gardens. The worst issue to deal with lately has been maintaining the water supplies and pipe lines from the waterfalls with the recent drought. It could be that this knight was just a little unlucky and never really had a chance to prove himself.

She was sure of one thing, however.

Her father was definitely not going to like this.

At least the Gallant Knight of Dawn or the Daybreak or whatever it was seemed like he was more than capable of handling anything dangerous on his own. Should there ever _be_ anything dangerous.

Gripping the edges of her chair tightly, she gave a stiff nod over to the attendant by the door.

"I've made my decision and I'm sticking to it. See them both in, please."

"By your leave, Princess." Ienzo gave a stiff, sweeping bow and turned to exit.

The heavy doors slammed shut behind him and she was left alone, apprehensive and fidgeting. The attendant who had been waiting by the door had already left to go fetch the two knights likely waiting in a hall nearby, so she couldn't even rely on him for meager comfort.

Why was she so anxious? She smoothed down her skirt and took a deep breath, trying to relax. At least she was able to slip into more comfortable clothes, now. A dress that wasn't drawn up with extra layers of skirts, frills and itchy puffs was a good dress.

All she had to do, she said to herself, was sit there and look regal and refined and everything would be just fine. But after what felt like ages sitting in silence without the slightest hint of movement outside the doors, she started to fidget again.

Why did she need another set of guards, anyway? It made sense when she was a child but now it just felt pedantic. And depending on the knights she would sometimes feel like she had to live constantly under the scrutiny of a cruel and judgmental eye squinting at her through a scope. If these knights were very stiff on the rules, her life was going to be miserable again for a while.

She also never really understood the logic behind changing guards in the first place. If they were supposed to be so impersonal, why not just send different ones every day? Either it was just to be mean, to be lazier with scheduling duties for everyone, or more likely because her father had some unspoken paranoia about nefarious spies lurking, waiting to pounce. Any knight she picked had to be fully screened first, after all.

So much effort for something so pointless.

"I am almost of age now. I should be fully able to take care of myself. I'll just have to show them up with my elegance and maybe then they'll say "Why yes, Miss Kairielis, you can most certainly do things on your own without burning the castle down around you!"She let her words echo through the empty room and sighed, her hand drooping listlessly to her side.

 _Yeah righ_ _t, like that would convince anyone..._

Plus, being elegant was hard. She shifted about in her chair, trying to find the most suitable position that exuded grace and poise. Agitated, she kept not knowing where to put her hands. Unable to take the pressure, Kairielis jumped up and started to pace across the thick woven carpet on the floor.

They were quite ugly, these carpets. Not just because the material they were made with was kind of coarse on the skin, but because it was decorated with these horrible misshapen figures meant to represent the seven guardian deities of the Gardens or...something. That was the intention, anyway. Most of them looked instead like half melted demonic creatures from a child's nightmare. In fact, she could definitely recall a few times they were in her nightmares. Despite her dislike of the carpets, she didn't wish them any real ill will. At least, that was the excuse she gave later that day.

In her fevered pacing, she accidentally caught her toe on a loop in the weaving and tumbled forward with all the grace and poise of a newborn deer. Her hands flailed out desperately in front of her, wrapping around the first thing they could find.

The tall antique tarnished silver candle stand did a good job of breaking her fall, but didn't do so well in not breaking itself. She swung her other arm out as she teetered off-balance, hoping to catch the freshly snapped tip of the candelabra before it hit the floor. But in an extra layer of clumsiness she only succeeded in batting it with the back of her hand further away, scattering a few waxy candles across the carpet. Waxy, _burning_ candles.

 _Oh please, no..._

She gasped in subsequent horror as the threads of carpet began to brown and singe before her eyes. Rushing forward, she fumbled to scoop up one of the candles, but the heat of the flames licked her fingers and she yelped, dropping it again.

 _Water, water...why is there always water everywhere around here except when you need it!?_

Not seeing an alternative, she resorted to a good old fashioned stomping with her shoe over the browning sections. While she stamped the rug furiously with her shoes, she used the broken piece of the candle stand still clenched in her hand to attempt to beat out the other burning bits next to her.

 _At least no one is-_

Voices in the hallway.

She froze, her blood turning to ice.

"...really is an enviable position. It used to be considered the most dangerous, but nowadays the castle is nothing but serene peace. Granted, our Princess used to be quite a troublemaker back in her youth but now that she's almost of age there should be anything to worry abou-"

The attendant swung open the door into the receiving room and his words stuttered in his throat.

Before the attendant and her two new personal guards, stood Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla, Princess of the Seven Gardens, Duchess of the Floating Isles and Bearer of the Light Refraction— at the very center of a massive burn mark on one of the oldest rugs in the castle, clutching the battered remains of an antique candlestick in one hand, and a singed shoe in the other.

Looking as starkly unrefined as possible.

 _So much for elegance…_


	2. Ch 2: Cavalier Manners

She trembled, feeling as if her cheeks had also now caught on fire. Behind the attendant holding open the door she could see both of _them_ staring back at her, their visors discarded completely now that the demonstrations were over.

She couldn't help but feel with woe that this situation was all the fault of the hand mirror she had accidentally chipped a small corner off of last night. They had always said it would cost you something when a mirror is shattered. She thought facetiously they just meant the cost of another mirror, but maybe it really had brought her some bad luck. Because in this case, the cost she paid was her dignity.

Rather than dwell on it, she did her best to straighten her dress, and dropped her useless shoe to the ground. Might as well look these two new guards over, especially if they were going to stand there and silently ogle _her_.

The one on the right, she assumed, was Mr. Gallant Dawnbreaker. He had very sharp features, hair the color of silver moonlight and eyes the same deep green color as the pools of Mermaid Lagoon. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason he seemed like the quiet type of someone who could brush his eyes over a person and read them quite well, analyzing everything perfectly but saying nothing. Someone you would be endlessly grateful is on _your_ side. It was almost like staring into the eyes of an owl. Mysterious, but just a little bit frightening.

The one on the left she recognized from his hair. He was leaner than the other, but that was more due to his build than being particularly scrawny. Staring at him, though, she was actually more intrigued by his eyes, now that she could see them. They were a very vibrant blue and seemed to be smiling with a twinkling light. Something about him was…endearing. Positive. Both knightly and not anything like any knight she had ever met at the same time. She couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Having briefly examined the two of them, she was surprised by their apparent age, or...lack thereof? They were likely only a year or so older than herself. She had never seen knights of this rank so young before. Not only that…

She felt her face growing steadily warmer.

They were both really cute.

Why oh why did they have to be _cute_.

"I-introducing to the Lady, her new personal guard: One Gallant Dawnbreaker, accomplished master of the sword and one...erm..." The attendant glanced down at a small paper in his hand, squinting in confusion.

"Just Sora is okay."

"...and...Sora." The attendant finished stiffly, his reluctance to comply with the knight's request painted on his strained face.

This strange knight with no title, took a bouncing step forward into the room, really examining the remains of the carpet.

And to the princess' growing horror, he laughed.

"Redecorating?" He pointed over to one of the former deities pictured on the rug, now with a twisted black smudge across its face, just below the nose. "You know, I think this guy looks better with a mustache."

Was he...mocking her!? She stomped her foot again on the carpet, her bare toes puffing up a cloud of ashy dust, and glared at this so-called knight.

"Excuse me!? This is a precious family heirloom!"

She was furious at herself, mortified at the mess she had made and last but not least, petrified about what her etiquette instructor would punish her with if word got back to her about all of this. A cocktail mix of emotions this varied bubbled up inside her and manifested itself into pure righteous indignation.

"How dare you!" She stomped up another cloud of dust. "You come into _my_ receiving hall, without so much as a shred of proper-"

"Our apologies, Your Highness."

Finally! At least one of them had proper sense!

"It is good to see you weren't injured in the...fire." The silver haired knight bowed deeply to her, but she thought she caught a twitch of a smile on the edges of his lips.

Hmm. Snarky. They _both_ are.

She pursed her lips and watched them with cold disdain. The dawn knight smacked his partner hard in his arm. The other knight winced, and attempted a rather clumsy teetering bow of his own.

"S-sorry..."

At least his apology sounded sincere.

The knight with no title, and clearly no decorum was about to raise his head, but was promptly yanked back down again by the other, who seemed to have a much firmer grasp on formalities. And there they both waited, heads bowed, for her permission to rise.

It certainly must have been a shock for them, meeting her in such an unusual way. She was starting to feel a little guilty for giving them a hard time. Upon glancing down at the design on the carpet, she realized that, at the very least, that one _had_ been right about the mustache looking burn mark. The face does almost look better that way.

The attendant at the door was looking a bit warily on at the whole situation. Kairielis caught his eye and with a flick of her wrist gestured that it was alright for him to leave. _Now._

He hesitated, and she repeated her command with a more firm wave. The attendant did his own well-practiced bow before scurrying off. As soon as he disappeared from view, she could hear the sudden furious pattering of his shiny boots bolting down the hall. He was _definitely_ going to rat her out about the carpet.

Oh well.

Once the clang of the heavy doors finished its closing echo through the room, nothing remained but an unsettling silence. Neither of her two guards moved a muscle.

She slowly approached them, eyeing them both up and down with tighter scrutiny. They were here, so they had already completed their oaths to serve and protect her, forfeit their lives to her safety, all that dreadful stuff. But thinking about those words coming out of these two seemed...almost an oxymoron. All her other previous guards had been time worn and above all else, intimidating. These two had far more gentle auras about them. That one might have had serious eyes, but his demeanor was quite calm, relaxed. And the other seemed as friendly as a puppy. Could they really 'strike down her enemies without abandon?' as she recalled the phrase.

Maybe. Probably. If there _were_ even any enemies.

After all, all the blithering about being her super special bodyguards was for show. The position was basically glorified babysitting and she knew it. Keep her in line, keep her out of trouble, keep her in your sights. Two sets of eyes, watching her every move to make sure she didn't break any precious rules, all wrapped up in the veneer of honor and prestige.

But they were still so... _young_. They wouldn't have been knights through Darkfall, because that was ten years ago. Wait. That didn't seem right...

She stopped her thoughts to briefly count out the years backwards, just to be sure. Oops, it wasn't ten, she was off by three. Thirteen whole years ago. Time flies, sometimes. Even for tragedies.

Thirteen years from when the whole kingdom almost was torn apart by those dark infectious tendrils that cursed her memories and her dreams. For thirteen years she had tried to forget. At least this time she had managed to briefly forget three. But forget all of it? She likely never would.

Nothing had come close to that day before or since in terms of danger and true tests of will for the castle knights. Kairielis herself had only been four at the time, so she assumed these two would also barely even be able to remember it, and far less likely would they have been fighting through it.

But there was no real way of knowing for sure. Lots of people suffered through that time, and no matter how someone looked on the outside, untold tragedies could always lurk somewhere within. She knew that truth well. It was best not to judge them by their age, and instead by their performance from here on out, she decided.

She leaned forward, first examining the one on the right with the sharp features and silvery hair. He was clearly well disciplined. No matter how much she tried to catch his attention and distract him, he kept his gaze steady, focused, waiting for her command to rise out of his bow.

 _Just like a perfectly perfect knight..._

She sighed and tucked her shoe-less right foot away behind her left leg, trying to shield her improper appearance from his watchful eye as much as possible. It just felt better that way.

"I know your title, sir knight, but what is your name?"

He didn't seem to expect this question and he paused, thinking hard before answering.

"My name is whatever you wish to call me. But if Her Highness wishes to know my birth name I will gladly give it."

"Please."

"Riku Morizaki, Your Majesty, from Balamb Garden."

Kairielis briefly remembered her last trip to Balamb. It was quite tropical, with lots of hibiscus flowers if she wasn't mistaken. And she usually wasn't, not about flowers. It was one of the southernmost Gardens among the seven; quite a long way from the castle in Radiant Garden.

"Thank you. You may stand up now, Riku. Is it alright for me to call you that from now on?"

"As you wish."

Yeah, he was a pretty typical knight all right. Athletic, toned muscles, noble to a fault. But she knew there was a personality buried under all that formality hidden in there _somewhere_. She remembered seeing it briefly, the way he defended his fellow soldier like he was his best friend. The one right over here…

She leaned down to try and get a glimpse now at the unusual knight to her left. He was holding his pose well enough, but his eyes were scanning this way and that unprofessionally. She met his gaze and he abruptly looked away.

 _Don't tell me he's getting shy now?_

"And you were... _just_ Sora, right? Should I call you The Just? Short for...Justin, maybe?"

She teased, expecting her joke to fall flat, but she could see him trying hard not to smile. Another first. Normally her knights took her so dang seriously.

"If you want to, that's...um..." He paused, and it looked like he was struggling on how to speak more eloquently like his partner but was coming up short.

"It's alright. I think I like the sound of Sora better, anyway."

He tried to hide his smile again.

"I don't really have anything else to call myself, so I'm glad it works for you."

He tipped his head back and forth, like he was happy about something. The movement making the multitudes of spikes in his hair shake and for some inexplicable reason Kairielis felt a strong urge to prod one with her finger. She half wondered if it was soft or spiny, like a hedgehog. But she knew that would be absolutely against far too many rules than she could count. That, and she had long since given up hope of ever touching someone else, even something as innocuous as a spike of their hair.

"Are you from Balamb Garden, too? It seems like you and Riku know each other really well."

He stiffened a little.

Right, she frowned inwardly to herself. It was drilled into knights from the beginning that they weren't meant to get too personal with her so this was often what happened when she accidentally dropped too informal a question on them too suddenly. They would panic and either not say anything and pretend like they hadn't heard or, in some terrible cases, just grunt and assume that was a decent enough answer.

In what world was 'ungh' a proper answer, anyway? Maybe if the question was 'what is the least informative sound you can make with your mouth?'.

 _I really should have learned by n-_

"Better than really well! He's my best friend." He was beaming up at her now, and she was startled by the earnest excited sparkle in his eyes. "Right?"

Happily, he turned to look at said best friend, who was now standing with his arms crossed and a frustrated scowl on his face.

"Sora."

"Hmm?"

A long, pained sigh escaped the knights' lips.

"Did you forget something?"

What looked like a thousand thoughts started shuffling through the boy's head until he seemed to suddenly realize what his friend was implying. It was about then that Kairielis realized it herself, too.

He hadn't gotten her permission to move yet.

Startled, he stumbled over himself to try and get back into his bowing pose as fast as possible, apologizing hastily as he did so.

Yeah, the king was definitely not going to like this one.

But for Kairielis, something about his bumbling simple honesty was unexpectedly adorable. She just couldn't stay mad in front of this bizarre display. And before she realized it, she started giggling.

His face was a little flushed, and she hoped he didn't assume she was making fun of him. But maybe she was. She wasn't quite sure.

"It's alright." She waved her hand a little to indicate for him to stand back up. "Sora, you don't have to bow to me."

He perked up right away. "Really?"

It definitely wasn't his strong suit.

"Mm-hmm. In fact..."

This little errant knight was inspiring. Maybe it was time to break a few more rules, just to see if she could. She stabbed the broken candle stick she only just realized she was still holding into the ground and cleared her throat dramatically.

"I hereby decree that neither of you ever has to bow to me again!"

She almost giggled again at the shocked look that briefly passed over Riku's face before he managed to compose himself. Oh this _was_ fun.

For once she finally got to be in charge.

"Your Highness, I'm...not sure your father would approve of that."

"So?"

Somehow the two of them had managed to say this at exactly the same time, and Kairielis turned a suspicious look over at the boy next to her. He was almost a bit too forward, and he seemed to realize it. His eyes shifted away from her again.

"No, no, go on. I'm curious to hear what you're thinking." She urged him.

"I mean...what the King likes is important and all, but I figure since we are supposed to be protecting you and stuff I think that also includes your happiness...so we should do what makes you happy...or something..." His mumbling eventually trailed off into silence.

Hm. Noble, in a stumbling, awkward sort of way.

Riku considered his friend's words for a moment before giving a conceding nod. "Alright. If it pleases the Princess I won't bow unless it is requested of me or is somehow necessary for her protection."

She was shocked. Between her previous guards whenever she made demands this bold it was met with either a silent dismissal or a stern reprimanding about etiquette. Or both. While she knew that ultimately her father could sweep in and veto any of her orders straight away, little victories were worth celebrating now and again.

And something about these two made her feel like a lot of traditions were about to be broken. Hopefully they weren't going to be too much of a headache.

"And if you have anything else you want just let us know, okay?" Sora was so chipper, it was hard to fault him, but Kairielis was still baffled at how carelessly he was speaking to her. A cavalier cavalier. The joke almost told itself. Part of her was intrigued, but the other part of her still felt vaguely disrespected.

But now it was time to test their limits.

"So, if you want to make me happy...there are a few basics I want you both to follow."

She steadied herself for rejection, but both of them seemed content to wait and listen to her demands. Things were already looking up.

"First, refrain from the super stuffy language whenever possible. Second, since you two are already friends please don't feel like you have to pretend otherwise. Third, and...maybe most importantly...I'd really like it if you two could talk to me now and again. I'd prefer the conversation."

"Well of course we're gonna talk to you! It'd be pretty boring around here if we didn't." Sora was eager enough to comply.

Riku's brow furrowed.

"If I may..." He paused, trying to reassess his speech and briefly checking to confirm the three of them were still alone.

"One...concern of mine is that we are expressly told to remain impartial to you. Would you really be able to stay that way with these rules in place?"

Kairielis chewed on her lower lip in frustration. He had seen through it all so easily. It's not like she _wanted_ to break the rules, she just...didn't like certain ones.

"Well that's...that's my problem to deal with, not yours."

He didn't look convinced.

Sora, however, seemed fairly satisfied with the rule suggestions. Likely because it would mean he wouldn't have to change much about how he handled things already anyway. Any miscreant would be pleased to see a rule book being tossed out the window.

"It shouldn't be a problem for us to at least talk, Riku! We don't even have to talk about anything important. The weather or something at least. What's the worst that could happen?"

Riku's silence carried with it a very stern warning that Kairielis heard loud and clear.

The worst that could happen? That would be another Darkfall. Or her losing her powers of Light Refraction. And those were both fairly grim options.

In an attempt to change the subject, she tapped the end of the metal pole against the floor again with a clack.

"Well, for your first official orders..." She then shoved the pathetic remains of the candle stick towards Sora, who gripped it hesitantly, avoiding her hands in the process.

"Get rid of this thing."

He eyed the bent rod and gave an improper salute. "O-okay! I'll do my best, Kairi."

The princess froze. Her heart thumped uncomfortably in her chest.

"...what did you just call me?"

No one had _ever_ used that nickname with her. Not since...

"I...uh...but isn't that your..." The boy wilted under her piercing glare. "Y-your Highness? Princess? Lady of the Light?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and he gulped quite visibly. That was one lesson her mother had taught her, that she could still remember quite clearly. 'With a steady gaze, any woman could make any man experience unbridled fear of the Gods so long as she was confident she could do so.'

He uttered a few more rambling honorifics, some notably creative ones he was making up on the spot, before she cut him off with a raised hand.

"That's more like it..."

His vision flickered over towards his friend for a moment, maybe looking for support, but Riku just gave him a shooing gesture. Looking a bit flustered still, Sora glanced down at the broken candlestick then stumbled one way, changed his mind when he realized there wasn't an exit in that direction, and bumbled back the way he came. Riku pulled the correct door open for him in an attempt to help lead him back to the hallway, but made no motions of following him.

This seemed to baffle Sora even further.

"You aren't coming with?"

"Did you forget the rules already? At least one of us with her at all times."

"O-oh, right!" He chuckled a little to himself. "And I don't suppose Kaaaairi-ighness-" He quickly cleared his throat. " _Her Highness_ —wants to go to the trash room?"

Nice attempt at a save there, you scrawny little upstart.

The other knight looked like his patience was being tested. "Not likely."

"I'll try to make it fast!" True to his word, he sped off with a light skip in his step.

Kairielis used to love reading fairy tales when she was little. One in particular, though, she never liked. It was the tale of a boy who skipped off to town and was tricked into trading his cow for a meager three beans because they were said to be magic. While it paid off for him in the end- after the beans impossibly sprouted a massive stalk that lead him to adventure and riches- she always felt like someone who would make such a trade in the first place was far too foolishly optimistic and naive to be real.

She took that all back now.

Sora was _exactly_ that type of person.

He had only just run off around the corner before Riku immediately lowered his head.

"My apologies about his..." He searched for the right word. "Everything. I won't lie and say that he is well-versed in etiquette but he isn't normally this bad. If I'm allowed to make an excuse for him, he gets...careless when he's nervous."

Kairielis wandered out the doors to the hall and leaned against the railing, staring down at the courtyard garden below her.

That boy had been nervous? He certainly had an odd way of showing it. Whenever she was nervous she got quiet and tried her best not to make a fool of herself, which seemed fairly standard. What kind of person would get more vivacious the more anxious they are? Someone unusual, that's who.

Someone she wasn't really sure how to make of yet. At least she knew that he meant well. Both of them did. And at the end of the day she _had_ wanted something a bit less traditional. Too late to complain now.

She hummed a bit to herself and watched the golden yellow leaves of the tall nearby ginko tree billow out like a giant yellow sail against the breeze. It was still just as hot today as yesterday, so the wind was absolutely welcome. Maybe it wouldn't hurt just to relax here a while.

She had only just met him, but she already trusted Riku to be more than capable of keeping a very sharp eye out for dangerous, threatening or monstrous things. Like bloodthirsty mosquitoes, for example.

After what felt like a while, she noticed that Sora had yet to return. She hoped what Ienzo had told her about him falling asleep easily wasn't going to be a problem she actually had to contend with.

As her eyes perused the courtyard garden for the third time today, she noticed a figure dart between the flower bushes aimlessly, looking more lost than a penguin in a desert.

The figure was also carrying a large, dented metal pole.

She sighed, and rested her chin on her hands.

Unbelievable.

She watched him scramble in several different directions before she decided it was best to put him out of his misery.

"Sora!"

Bracing herself up against the railing, she leaned forward to wave down to her lost little knight with as obvious a motion as possible. She also definitely noticed Riku glancing at her precarious position with a disapproving look but it wasn't like he could pull her away from the edge. No touchy, after all.

When Sora finally spotted her up on the wall, she cupped her hands to her mouth. "The trash room is that way! Follow the orchids to the edge of the garden, then go past the yellow doors to the kitch-"

He definitely wasn't following.

Setting the metal pole briefly down on the grass he joined her in making his own hands a makeshift voice amplifier, shouting back.

"I don't see any kids!"

She blinked. _What?_

She glanced, bewildered over at Riku who shook his head.

Sora tried yelling up at them again.

"And definitely nothing with oars!"

Riku groaned as he somehow managed to decode his friends misunderstanding, then threw his voice into the shouting match.

"Not _kids!_ Orchids!" Riku rubbed at his forehead wearily. "Figures..."

He mumbled this last part under his breath and Kairielis couldn't help but smile again.

"Oh!" Sora paused, considered a few of the plants next to him, then paused again. "Uh...Riku? What's an orchid?"

"A flower! What else!?"

" _Yeah,_ but..." Sora glared in frustration at his friend who only returned a facetious shrug.

Mm-hmm. They were definitely good friends. She had heard that people who are very close were much more comfortable with trying to irritate one another. It seemed odd when she first heard about it, but here it was, definitely in practice.

"It's pink!" She tried to drop her wayward knight another hint, and pointed to the row of orchids somewhat near his foot, hoping that would help him pick it out from all the others around.

Spotting them now, Sora nodded, scooped up the broken candle stick with relish and gave her a grateful wave before flouncing off.

"Has he never been to the castle before?"

"Not this part."

Kairielis huffed and pulled away from the railing. "Why didn't he just _tell me_ he didn't know where anything was! I wouldn't have sent him off alone then."

"He didn't want to burden you with his shortcomings and didn't mind wandering until he found the right place."

Kairielis glanced at him.

"...If I had to guess." He concluded.

That was far too accurate to be a guess.

"For not trying to be a burden he's ended up awfully inconvenient."

"That's...how he is. Smashes his head against problems until he fixes them. It's troublesome every now and again, but his perseverance is admirable."

He made a good point.

"I...I see. I'll try to keep it in mind, thank you for your opinion." She tipped her head to the side, considering. "And...thank you for trying to talk with me a little, it makes me really happy."

"I'll do my best to follow your orders, Princess."

She gripped the sides of her skirt.

Right.

Because it was an order.

For some reason she had foolishly been thinking he was trying to get along with her, but he was just following her previous commands as best he could.

"Like every good knight always does…" She mumbled to the ground. Half of her wondered if all the staff in the castle weren't obligated to, if they would even care about her at all.

Well, that does it.

She abruptly spun around and began marching back towards her room. Riku wordlessly followed, no doubt wondering where they were going but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing. Because _she_ is in charge this time. Ha!

But seriously, she really did need to get another pair of shoes.


	3. Ch 3: Nursery Rhymes

"Again with this nonsense!?"

There was an abrupt smack and the clattering of the wooden hairbrush as it skittered across the floor tiles. The young princess gasped and recoiled from the sudden sound, feeling the hand gripping her dark auburn hair release it in favor of cuddling her shoulders close in comfort. Her wide eyes searched the room for the reason why her mommy had tossed the pretty hairbrush aside. She wasn't sure, but maybe Uncle had something to do with it.

He was glowering over them, arm raised, his long curly beard making him look very much like a bear. But not in a cute teddy bear kind of way.

She felt her mom gently squeeze her shoulders once more, before leaning in to whisper her soft, singing voice in her ear.

"Kairi, sweetheart, Uncle and I have something to discuss now. Would you please go out to the tulip garden and check on your grandmother? She must be getting lonely."

Ever wanting to please her mother, the little princess chirped in affirmation and jumped to her feet, giving a small curtsy to her uncle on the way out. Kairi really did want to obey, but there was something very scary about Uncle today. Pretending to shut the door on her way out, she snuggled down onto the hall floor, and peeked through the very small crack she had left ajar. She wanted to be there to help, just in case Uncle was having another one of his 'bad days' again. He had been having a lot of those lately. He was so much like mommy, and yet so much unlike her at the same time.

She had been told they were born at the same time, so that's why they look so similar. But her mommy definitely didn't have a beard, so she wasn't sure why they said that. And while her mother always encouraged her to think outside the rules, her uncle had been the one to rap the ruler back down over her knuckles.

"You _know_ you aren't to be doing things like this! You _know_ if you so much as-"

"I will not sit here and be lectured about my own daughter! Here I am wearing these dreadful gloves, _as ordered,_ but that's just suddenly not good enough, now!? I must be forced to watch my beautiful child grow up at arms length!?"

Kairi saw her mother rip off her long silk gloves, scrunch them up into an angry ball and hurl them against the floor where the joined the discarded hairbrush. She trembled against the cold floor of the hall, realizing all too late that this wasn't something she was meant to hear.

But she couldn't move.

"You are flirting with disaster, sister. You know mother's health is...waning. Kairielis is-"

"Kairi. Her name is Kairi." Her mother hissed, like a coiled snake.

From the other side of the door, Kairi did her best not to gasp.

There was a silence, and she saw Uncle scoop the limp gloves from the floor and stare down at them angrily before shoving them back in her mother's direction.

Her mother refused to take them, and she was looking so sad that Kairi wanted nothing more than to burst back in the room and sing songs with her again. But she doubted her uncle would be too happy with her eavesdropping, and would yell at mommy again.

"You of all people should understand." The queen spoke coldly. "You can hold your daughter. Kiss her. Cuddle her fears away. How would you feel if Namine could perform Light Refraction as well?"

Her uncle seemed uncomfortable, and he folded his arms across his chest.

"That doesn't change the fact that _Kairi_ is the last hope of this kingdom to survive. We can't risk her losing the Ability. After mother passes..." His voice choked to a stop, and he took a moment to clear his throat.

"I will be candid. Mother will not be around forever. Neither of us can complete the ritual, so eventually Kairi will be the only one who can."

Her knees hurt very badly now in the cramped position she had been holding to try and get the best view. She tried to ignore it to keep her eyes on her family, not wanting to miss anything important.

"You know how vital that ritual is. If we don't perform it, the darkness will return...the very earth itself will destroy us. We _need_ your daughter."

"Your _niece_." Her mother corrected him.

"Don't be pedantic."

"Pedantic? Me? I simply can't believe you've lost so much of your humanity."

"You shouldn't be moralizing to me, when you are the one letting your emotions put the entire kingdom in jeopardy!"

Her uncle was shouting again, while her mother sat quite rigidly in her chair. But that didn't mean she looked any less upset because the fury wasn't painted across her delicate features.

"I don't want her to have a childhood like ours. We know the pain of wanting nothing more than to hug our own mother and being constantly rebuked for it. It's a horrible tragedy neither of us should perpetuate. Or have you forgotten?"

Kairi heard Uncle sigh heavily.

"No. No, I haven't. I admit that she has a heavy burden to bear, especially for one so young, but bear it she must. For the good of her people."

"And what about what is good for _her_?"

"It is simply too risky. We can talk around and around in circles about this countless times, but you know just as well as I do that we cannot afford the risks. If anyone without the Ability touches her she could lose it completely. It is a superstition, of course, but those are the words of the legend and now isn't the time to test it. Even with gloves on it is far too serious to be acting so leisurely!"

Her mother said nothing in return, only continued picking at a loose thread on the arm of the large floral patterned chair. After a moment, she finally reached back out and took the gloves from her twin brother.

Kairi thought she could see her hands shaking heavily, but it was so very hard to see.

"I...if only I had been given..."

Her uncle, in a very gentle motion, patted her mother on the arm. "I know."

"Why did it find us unworthy? Why would it forsake me? Forsake you? Out of spite? I'd suffer the pain of a thousand knives if it would mean I could hug my daughter, even just once. If I had the Ability I could..."

"Perhaps we can both only hope that the darkness that ever looms beneath us is only legend and not fact."

Kairi didn't really know what was going on. There were so many big words; scary words. They weren't shouting any more, which made her happy at least, but neither of _them_ looked very happy. She couldn't help but feel like it maybe was her fault somehow. She had heard her name an awful lot. All she understood was what she already knew- that she had a very important job, same as her grandma. Feeling guilty about eavesdropping, and because the pain in her knees was growing, she teetered up to her feet and gathered up the skirt of her dress so she could more easily scamper her way out to the garden.

Picking them each some nice flowers might help! And she was sure her grandmother would enjoy that, too. Her grandmother did always like flowers, especially when she was feeling a bit sick.

Merrily skipping on her way, the young princess had no idea the tragedy that was soon to befall her. For within a month from that moment, she would lose her family, and be forced to live among her loneliness as the days stretched to weeks, to months, to years.

First the queen mother would pass away from illness, leaving behind her bereft family, and the almost unbearable weight of responsibility. A responsibility resting entirely on the shoulders of a young, four year old girl who wasn't old enough to handle it.

Thus, the dark seed full of hatred and malice buried deep within the earth, having nothing to trim it back, sprouted wild. It sought out to corrupt and destroy anything the light touched, to bring it all back to the darkness whence it came.

For it was more than just a fairy tale monster; it was real. It would be the start of the two long weeks of Darkfall.

While those tendrils full of hatred were eventually brought to justice, it cost a heavy price, and the losses among everyone were nearly immeasurable. Homes, livelihoods, and precious lives were forfeited. That sweet young princess, so full of light, now playing and laughing among the tulips with her grandma would be no exception to the toll.

Her mother would not survive the first night.

The fallen queen would be forever branded as a tainted heathen, a failure to her people, and her memory spat upon by those seeking someone to blame. 'She was the oldest child by a minute,' they would say 'so it was her responsibility to stop this. But what did she do instead? Break every rule she could.'

The king, though he had not lost his life, began to live like the dead- unemotional, detached, coldly pushing his daughter away lest either of them befall the same fate as his queen. He would also henceforth begin an even stricter adherence to every rule in the books, clinging to old faith to save him and his kingdom.

And so the princess would be alone, her personal tragedy unresolved.

For a piece of her was lost somewhere, forever missing and empty.

The name that her mother had so lovingly called her felt sour being spoken by anyone else, and she would staunchly refuse to use it until she felt whole again.

And so she would no longer be Kairi.

* * *

Kairielis shook her head and sighed, staring at the glass beaker as the light slowly faded from it, leaving the water now plain and unchanged in front of her.

"I'm afraid it's no good. I'm sorry I couldn't make it stick..."

Ienzo jotted a few notes down into one of his many scratch books and nodded with solemn understanding.

"I see. However, there's no need to take any blame Your Highness, it is an experiment after all. All results, even ones less than ideal provide data that will have use eventually."

Even, the castle's head scientist, squinted one large eye into the beaker, just to double check, swirling its contents briefly before acquiescing defeat.

"A few more experiments, then. Off to the lab!"

The scientist and the records keeper departed from the room, taking their various samples with them. Even seemed completely wrapped up in his thoughts, cradling his beaker like a small infant in his arms while Ienzo offered a cursory nod in Riku's direction. He briefly cast his eyes off towards Sora, but said nothing, then closed the door behind himself with a soft clack.

Sora, she noticed, barely even registered the scrutiny because he was still ogling her, eyes wide, like she had just done some impressive feat of magic. But surely he must have known all about her powers? It wasn't exactly insider information. That, and...it was just some bubbles.

"That's so amazing! You put...sparkles in the water just by touching it."

Um...had he missed the part where it didn't work? Clearly.

"She didn't put 'sparkles' in it, Sora. It's called Light Refraction. She's literally injecting it with light. That's what purifies the water of the kingdom and keeps the darkness out. She'll be doing that ritual at the temple every morning and starting tomorrow we'll be joining her." Riku rapped his knuckles against his friend's noggin. "Or is that another thing you forgot?"

Sora waved him off. "Of course not!"

She propped her head up by her elbows on the table and smiled over at the knight standing across from her. "Tomorrow you'll be able to see the real thing."

"Can't wait!"

"I-it won't really be that..."

He looked so dang excited that she felt a twinge of anxiety ripple through her body. Hopefully he wasn't expecting some grand display; she would hate to disappoint a face like that.

"It's...not that impressive..."

"Of course it's impressive! It's magic. Actual, real magic!"

Despite her stuttered hesitations, he was still carrying on with unbridled enthusiasm. Maybe she really had stopped appreciating the sheer unique charm of her powers, a charm that he was completely enraptured by. But at the same time it was hard to stay so enthused about something she did every day, rain or shine, even with a fever, half-asleep or awake. She was about to mention this, but Riku countered her point before she could make it.

"Don't underestimate his ability to enjoy the most mundane things. Years into his training and he is still humming his way through our morning stretches."

"Nothing wrong with thinking positive." Sora interjected with a shrug, plopping himself down on the windowsill behind him.

Pressure's off, then, she supposed. If he could get excited about warm-ups there's no doubt she could hold his attention with some...'sparkly' water.

Feeling a bit more relaxed now, she eyed the boy on the other side of the table. Sora still looked happy, but was itching at the side of his face with a lone finger, almost like he actually had been a bit embarrassed with Riku's assessment.

She decided she wanted to try this whole teasing thing herself.

"And here I was told you like to sleep all the time. Anywhere and everywhere. That's not out of boredom, then?" She gave him a coy little smile of her own.

"Hey, naps can be fun! Besides, it doesn't really matter what you are doing—what's more important is the company you are doing it with."

"Mm-hmm...does that mean you are often falling asleep on other people?"

He balked, and it looked like the embarrassment on his face was spreading slightly.

"N-no..." Sora's denial fell silent as he caught sight of the slight smirk forming on Riku's face. He likely realized that there was no way he could hide from whatever dirt his friend had on him.

"Well okay, maybe I did a few times, but not on purpose..."

"Sure you didn't." Riku gave him a light punch on the arm and he sighed.

"It's just because I feel comfortable around my friends. Because, if anything bad happens while I'm asleep I know Riku would help m-"

She saw her opportunity and pounced.

"Sounds to me like you're a lazy bum who is happy to let your friend be first in line to take care of trouble."

Riku exhaled sharply, almost like half a scoff. "Pretty much."

"Aw, come on..."

Sora was pouting now, ever so slightly.

Kairielis had dipped her toe just slightly into the stream of friendly banter, but really liked how nice and refreshing it was. She had never really gotten much chance to peck out little jabs at anyone other than the castle cat, or the stuffy people in the hallway paintings, and there was something so much more special and wholesome actually being able to do it with a willing partner. It also helped that Sora was being so adorable about it.

She saw his usual carefree demeanor returning and he bounced his heels lightly against the wall.

"Well...no matter what happens tomorrow morning I wanted to at least say thanks for all the effort you put in to do something like that every day." He pointed to the now empty place on the table where the beaker once sat. "That was just a small cup, and I bet doing the whole water supply is extra challenging. It's a lot of effort to help a lot of people. So...yeah. Thank you."

Now it was her turn to feel slightly flushed.

"It's...I...you're welcome."

She fumbled her words out, not sure why such a simple statement could affect her so strongly. But maybe because no one had ever thanked her. Not as far as she could ever remember. It was simply...expected that she would do the ritual, so she did. She knew everyone was grateful, but to hear the words actually being said out loud was something else entirely. Various thoughts tumbled around in her head but she couldn't seem to find anything to cling to.

It was only a thank you. Why was she getting mixed up?

"Out of curiosity, what was the purpose of the water experiment they brought in here?" Riku's question snapped her out of her dizzy reverie.

"Um...researching Light Refraction, mostly." She answered, still feeling a bit dizzy. "We don't really know how it works. I inherited it from my grandmother, who inherited it from her father, and so on, up the family line. It seems to only appear in the first born child, so some say it skipped my mother and her brother because they were twins. But other than that...nothing much. Right now I'm the only one who can use it, so there isn't anyone else to ask or run tests on."

"You said they were only 'mostly' studying Refraction?" Riku pressed.

"They are also working on developing artificial rain, to help solve the issue of the drought. But if the rain created in the lab can't hold my blessing it won't do any good. So far nothing has stuck. And...if it doesn't rain soon..."

"Resource allocation begins?"

Riku certainly was quick on the uptake.

She nodded, quite grimly. "I hope it won't come to that. I know in my heart that the water we have left will need to go to our people and crops first and foremost, which means letting several gardens run dry. But...to actually have to give the orders to divert the supply lines? To do something I know will result in death? Even...even if its just the death of a plant..."

She chewed at her lower lip. It was a bad habit, unbecoming, childish, and whatever else the ever graceful Miss Trepe had labeled it, but she couldn't help it.

"I'm glad." Riku nodded at her, prompting a hesitant glance by Sora in his direction.

"Uh...you're...glad?" Sora prodded his friend in the shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. I'm glad that she is taking her duties and responsibilities seriously. Far too many royalty simply sit back and take in the luxury without accepting the burdens it comes with."

She noticed Sora breathe out a sigh of relief and laugh a bit to himself. Most likely happy that his friend wasn't actually relishing in plant homicide, or just finding his own misunderstanding amusing. Riku didn't even address the misunderstanding at all, just mumbled something to him that she couldn't hear and chuckled a bit himself.

Sora met her gaze and his smile broadened. "Well if that's case, I'm glad too. It's great that you care about all life, even the little plants and flowers. I hope it rains soon so you don't have to worry any more, but I think being worried in the first place means you are a good princess and a good person, too."

It was a childishly simple way to think about things, for even a thoughtful ruler could be misguided, but was comforting nonetheless. And part of her wished more people in the castle could be as earnest and open as him.

Her mother had always encouraged her to do the same, from what she could remember.

 _"You are my beautiful Kairi, not a cookie-cutter princess. They might tell you who you are but they're wrong. And the question I want to know is...what kind of cookie is my sweet little girl going to be? Chocolate?_ _Plain sugar?_ _Sour cream? Maybe even...raisin!?"_

She remembered the giggles, her begging her mother not to let her be a yucky raisin cookie, but at the end of it all, looking back, she knew her mother just wanted her to follow her own heart.

Her father might not be very approving of this knight, but something told her that her mother would have absolutely loved him.

 _Maybe it is good that there wasn't any rain. If he is this sweet he would probably melt straight away in the slightest downpour._

"You know, Sora...I wish you could have met my mother."

"Huh?"

He was clearly confused by the non sequitur. In his eyes, they had just been discussing rain and flowers and it took him for a minute to adjust his thoughts to what she had said.

"O-oh. Yeah, she seemed like a real great lady to me. Or at least from what I know."

A markedly unusual response, like always.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that. Most people look down on her memory. They say she was selfish, recklessly flaunted the rules, nearly destroyed the entire kingdom, and that I should do everything in my power to never grow up to be like her, but..."

"Who would say something awful like that!?" Sora looked horrified, glancing between the other two in the room as if he couldn't believe such a thing was possible and was waiting for the reveal that it was a terrible joke.

Riku grimly confirmed her words with a nod.

"Lots of people do, unfortunately. It seems no one ever told them it never does any good to talk poorly of those who have already passed. Attributing blame to the deceased is often used as a way for people to feel better about themselves without having to change their own actions but it doesn't fix anything, and can even impede future progress."

He was sharply accurate yet again.

But that didn't bring her much comfort.

Kairielis leaned back in her chair to listen, turning her eyes up at the large painting of several water birds wading in shallow waves looking for clams that was hanging up next to her.

"What is important is learning from the past and building upon it, not heaping blame onto others and refusing to accept any personal responsibility."

Kairielis could tell that this was something Riku took very seriously, maybe even personally. She wished she could know more about his family or back story. It felt like he had a lot to share.

If only he could.

"Thank you, Riku. It's good to hear that not everyone is against her. I'm usually not able to talk about her because people will just tell me to hush and forget her."

"That's the last thing you should do!" Sora sat up, his hands gripping the edge of the window sill firmly.

She had never seen Sora look this serious before. But even when serious, his aura wasn't a dark, dim cloud. More like he was a burst of sun breaking through a storm, vibrant and inspiring.

"Please...please don't do that. In fact, if you ever want to talk about her, I'm sure both of us would be more than happy to listen. I'm sorry you didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but thinking about those few memories that you share now and again is a great way to keep a part of her around with you forever."

She knew this was the same carefree boy as before, his passionate plea was so positive she definitely couldn't hear it coming from anyone else, but something felt...different about him. He almost reminded her of something she could barely see in her minds eye, like an imaginary friend she had long forgotten. Someone nostalgic and warm…

And a song, lingering deep in the back of her memory suddenly popped back into place.

"I...remember her music the most. She had this beautiful blue harp that she would play for us. I remember sitting in the gardens with her, making up nursery rhymes to new melodies she came up with."

"Still remember any?" Sora asked.

She nodded without a moment of hesitation, but noticed the attention focused intently on her from the two of them and she blanched a little. What, did they expect her to sing it? Here?

Waving his hands in front of him in small panicked circles, Sora tried to avert his eyes from her.

"You don't have to sing it if you don't want to!"

"It's not that I don't want to sing in front of you—I've hummed a lot around my guards before. I've just never had to sing while actually _knowing_ someone was listening. I'm...not sure if that makes sense."

Riku shrugged. "Seems reasonable to me."

She had the feeling that Riku wasn't a big fan of being the center of attention either.

"Oh! I got it!" Sora jumped off the sill and dropped himself backwards down on a chair, now facing the corner of the room. "If I sit like this, does it help?"

He glanced over his shoulder and gave his friend a hurried wave. "Riku, go stare out the window or...pretend you are guarding something."

"Oh? We are just _pretending_ to guard now, are we? So what are you guarding over there? Wallpaper?"

"Uh..." He searched the area around his feet for an object or two but was coming up short.

Kairielis giggled, feeling strangely like a lot of shimmery bubbles were filling her up, lifting her up to her feet, each one containing a little gasp of laughter and joy.

And she started feeling a little mischievous again.

"Oh, I'll sing. But only if Riku sings first."

He was still facing the window but she saw Riku's shoulders wince and could only imagine the horrified look on his face. Sora, however, whipped back around in his chair to face her.

"Aw...if you're going to do that, at least pick something that isn't impossible..."

"Oh my...are you questioning my orders? I wasn't aware you could do thaaat..." She twirled a piece of hair around her finger, loving the teasing game they had been slowly accustoming her to.

Riku breathed out very slowly and crossed his arms. "Well, as far as I could tell, your _orders_ were quite conditional."

That was true. She _had_ said 'if'. Darn his solid attention to detail.

"Can I sing with him at least?" Sora seemed genuinely hopeful.

Of course this one would like singing.

Kairielis waved her hand regally, playing up the drama as much as she could. "I suppose I shall allow such a thing, my knight."

Accepting the role-play immediately, Sora put his hand on his chest and bumped his heels together. "Your gracious charity is most appreciated!"

She heard Riku click his tongue. "Yeah, well, I never said I was going to sing. You'll just be wasti-"

Pushing forward unimpeded, Sora burst into a song. It was a cute little nursery rhyme about an acorn rolling down a hill into the sea and befriending a grumpy catfish. Kairielis couldn't help but marvel at how well it fit the two of them. A little acorn Sora, on a grand adventure through the unknown ocean while trying to get Riku the catfish to dance with him.

Sora made sure to include extra hand motions as he sang. But soon he seemed to be coming to the end and Riku still hadn't participated in a single note. She wanted to give him credit for the effort, but if his friend didn't at least join in a bit she would probably have to mark it a failure. Rules were rules, after all.

Undaunted, Sora kept at it, almost as if he was sure Riku would join in eventually.

 _Our little happy acorn,_ _he_ _kept dancing in the bay._

 _Dancing with his new best friend, with not a lot to say._

Sora tapped Riku on the shoulder but he rolled his eyes with a groan, still refusing.

 _When the catfish opened up his great big mouth to speak…_

 _The only sound that came out was a..._

Sora held out the last word grandly, prodding his friend in the stomach, before repeating the last words again, with extra emphasis.

" _Was a_..."

Groaning into the hand covering his face, Riku barely managed to half mumble half sing the last line, reluctance dripping from every word.

"Squeaky. Squeak. Squeak..."

Well, what do you know? He actually managed to get something out of him.

She offered enthusiastic applause, feeling like they definitely deserved it for their trouble. Sora gave an exaggerated bow and dropped back into his chair. Riku kept glaring out the window, properly embarrassed.

"I suppose I'll have to sing now to hold up my end of the bargain."

"Only if you want to."

She watched the spikes of his hair bounce around again. It was almost hypnotic. "Mm...well...I feel like it wouldn't be too fair on Riku to have him sing for no reason, so..."

Here goes nothing.

The tune came to her surprisingly easy, despite never having thought about the song in years, let alone sing it. But something about Sora just made that memory rise to the top of her consciousness.

 _Cheer up_ _my_ _little rain cloud, what are you crying for?_

 _We are both together now, within in this big downpour._

 _Even though the rain is cold, and darkness looms around-_

She made the mistake of looking at him.

The way his eyes focused on her, and only her, with that bright beaming smile on his face suddenly gave her the most trembling, fluttering anxious shiver she ever had in the pit of her stomach.

Her voice faltered and she stumbled through the next few lines. Was she really this scared of a boy? A boy that friendly?

Impossible.

...right?

Just as she was about to stutter the song to a halt, unable to continue, she heard his cheery voice join in with her recitation to help her out, somehow managing to not miss a single word.

 _So remember little cloud, if all the light has gone,_

 _I am always here with you, let's make a rainbow dawn._

Before she could react, Sora gave a triumphant cheer.

"Wow, that was a really nice one! Sorry for jumping in at the end there, I just got a little worried you maybe forgot the..."

He noticed her glaring at him, and his voice trailed off cold.

"W-was my singing that bad? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"How did you know the words." She said this tersely, not even asking it as a question.

None of it made any sense.

She definitely remembered coming up with the words to that song with her mother. That exact song. Her mother had told her it was their special song, a good luck charm in case she ever was lonely or sad. No one else should know it. Or should have even heard it.

No one but her and her mother.

How could he know something that private?

She felt like she had been splashed with cold water, like this whole thing was some nasty joke. He wasn't even offering up an excuse, just gaping at her like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. There were only a few possible reasons that she could come up with in her mind, and all of them meant that he was hiding something profoundly important from her.

The idea that he could be hiding something possibly about her mother, sent fury shaking down her spine.

"How did you know!" The volume of her shout startled him and he shrank back away from her like a scolded animal cowering from a newspaper.

"I j-just...I just remembered it..."

The confusion and hurt twisted on his face was really hard to look at but she tried to fight through the sinking feeling in her stomach because she needed this answer. She had to know.

"The only way for you to know that song is if you knew her! Or knew me? What are you hiding!?"

Tears swelled up at the edges of her eyelids and she struggled not to let it fall down her cheeks.

 _Why, why, why._

Her struggle was futile, and she felt cold streaks against her burning face.

"I'm sorry...I can't..." He apologized, and while she knew it was him speaking, it was completely different. For once, his voice had completely lost its cheer. It was lackluster. Almost like the resigned voice of a caged bird staring out an open window, longing to be free but utterly barred from doing so.

Kairielis wiped at her eyes in despair, refusing to look up, lest his crestfallen face make her feel worse than she already did. She knew, at the end of it all, he really couldn't be hiding something too nefarious behind that face of his. He was too kind, too innocent.

Seeing the hurt on his face was enough for her to regret shouting at him. All he had wanted was to try to make her happy and remind her about her mother.

And even if he was hiding something, it wasn't his fault. Those were the orders he had to live by every day. The same rules that she had to accept. The rules that resulted in the inescapable solitude of her life. As upset as she had just been, she realized that all three of them were all victims of these accursed rules forced upon them, and there was not much that could be done about it.

It certainly wouldn't do to take her frustrations out on them, or Sora in particular.

All this had made her realize how little she could trust her memories. How little she had left of her mother. And despite feeling like she had gotten closer to these two over the course of the day, she understood she didn't really know them or their pasts at all. She likely never would.

"Your Highness..." Riku cautiously entered himself into the conversation, having finally peeled himself away from the window.

She didn't rebuke him, feeling too low to do so, so he continued.

"I don't know if this is the reason or not, but my father used to serve as a castle knight during the time your mother was queen. It's possible he overheard that song and sang it to us as children. I wouldn't have been too interested in those things, but Sora would have paid attention and kept it in the back of his head, I'd imagine."

She noticed he had slipped back into more formal language again. I guess he also was made starkly aware of the chains that bound them all. But his words were also overall a flimsy excuse that she didn't quite believe. But believe it or not, she understood perfectly what was going on.

They knew more than they were telling her. But no matter what they wanted to do, they _couldn't_ tell her the truth. When faced with revealing their secret, or simply lying, her little earnest Sora just couldn't bring himself to do either, so Riku interjected instead.

He had made up something to help out his friend, even if it meant giving away some personal information, and breaking a rule by doing so. Riku wouldn't do that lightly.

It meant their secret, whatever it was, was something important.

Her eyes finally decided to seek Sora out. He was staring intently at his gloves, picking at them with somber resignation. She called out his name gently and he winced. A horrible twinge of guilt socked her in her core.

"Sora, I'm so sorry for snapping at you like that, it was uncalled for."

She chanced another look, and was surprised at how calmly he was sitting now, like she hadn't just completely chewed him out a moment ago. Before she could open her mouth to say anything more, she saw the smallest spark of light ignite in his eyes, and that wonderful, clumsy, beaming smile of his was back.

Thank goodness. He didn't seem broken.

"So...uh...I'm not fired, then?"

Yep, judging from that face he was definitely okay.

She wanted nothing more than to gently bop him on the head.

"Of course I'm not going to dismiss you that easily, silly. This whole thing was my fault for getting so worked up. I should know that you two can't tell me everything."

His smile faltered a little and he jabbed his finger into the side of the chair a few times. "I would tell you everything if I could. But...truthfully I don't even remember a few things myself."

"It's not your fault." She felt like she needed to emphasize this again. "It's just a frustrating situation. I can never really get to know anyone or learn anything about them. I'm not able to get close to anyone and sometimes I get so...I get so sick of it. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it! It's actually a good thing that you snapped at me."

She blinked back at him. Add 'baffling' to his growing list of personality traits right up there next to 'endlessly optimistic'.

"Um...why is it a good thing, exactly?"

"Sometimes when we get angry it helps clear up a lot of things we try to keep bottled up inside here." He patted his chest with an open hand. "So...now I know what is making you sad. And now I know what I can do to fix it!"

Still speechless, she watched him leap up to his feet and practically bounce over to the door of the room, throwing it open.

"Fix...it?"

Unless he was planning on drafting up a new addendum or two to the national rule charter it was unlikely that he would be able to fix the case of her seclusion, or that the two of them weren't allowed to discuss personal information with her.

"We're going to go on an adventure!" He stretched his hand out towards her, thought better of it, shook his head, and withdrew it with a nervous laugh. "Oops! Nearly forgot about that."

Kairielis was still confused, but intrigued. She slowly got up to follow, not sure what to make of the whole situation.

"Where are we going?"

More of those cute hair-bobbing head tips as he considered her question.

"I'm sure you've been all over the seven Gardens, right?"

"Yes, of course. I've been on diplomatic-"

"And so I'm sure you know the town here pretty well, too?"

Where was he going with this? She narrowed her eyes.

"Yes..."

"Then for the rest of today we are going to take you out to the Gardens, where you can _not_ see them for the first time!"

Riku finally decided to break his silence. "We? I hope you don't mean me because I'm completely lost."

Raising her hand in agreement, she bobbed her head. "And me. How can I _not_ see something I've already-"

Another genuine laugh and he gestured excitedly for both of them follow. "I guess you'll just have to come see what you'll not see and then you'll...uh...see..." He paused, his mouth clearly getting ahead of himself.

And none of that winding sentence told her anything.

"Oh! One quick question before we go- you are allowed to ride on wyverns and stuff, right?"

"Yes. Animals, especially wyverns aren't restric-"

"Great!"

One glance at Riku let her know that he was equally in the dark about this whole thing, so it was definitely something spontaneous. It seemed they were both going to have to navigate this maze together.

What exactly was this chaotic whirlwind of a boy planning?

She expected Riku to rattle off some reasons why it was a bad idea, but to her surprise he just turned to her and shrugged.

"Sometimes it's best just to go along for the ride. There's generally a method to his madness."

And, like always, she figured Riku was probably right.

She decided to let go, stop fighting it, and let the breeze carry her away to places unknown.


	4. Ch 4: With Blind Eyes

Some days the princess liked to fantasize about having a normal life out in the village. She imagined being an absolute no one, with a name that stirred nothing in the soul because it was as common as bread. Fiona Ponderlily. Katie Rose. Rowan Woods. A girl with that name could wake up early with nothing better to do than to wipe the morning dew from the crystal lights outside. A girl like that would probably work at an ordinary shop as a tailor or a weaver, would love petunias, and would keep a collection of sea shells collected from walks about the Rising Falls. She would make sure her younger sister stayed out of trouble. Visit friends and chat for hours over scones and cups of flowery teas. And they would hug her in return when they parted for the day, telling her 'see you tomorrow'.

And...maybe she would fall in love. On a lucky day at the market she might unexpectedly bump into someone with her bags of groceries and spill potatoes all over the ground. And he might help her pick them up. Then he would mistakenly brush his hand against hers…

It must be a wonderful feeling, to feel the warmth of another. To feel love wrapped around your whole being in a tight embrace. Or so she assumed it would be wonderful. She couldn't remember.

Sometimes if she closed her eyes she could vaguely recall someone holding her close, and the faint smell of chamomile. But it was always nothing more than a dream.

When no one was looking she sometimes tried to pretend someone had reached out to her lovingly, and folded her fingers around her own opposite hand, just to imagine what it would feel like. But she knew it just looked silly.

She clasped her silly hands together behind her back and glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if her two guards were still behind her.

Of course they were.

They were all there together, at the top of the clock tower, the sun setting in a beautiful mix of oranges and pinks across the sky. The clock tower itself was a large monument atop a garden lined hill among long winding stone pathways and fountains, standing as a beacon for all those wishing to lose themselves in the hours. A pinnacle achievement of technology, all thanks to the work of the castle alchemists and scientists. The weighted bags of sand and pulleys twisted the two long poles on the clock face around at even, steady intervals. Granted, it had to be re-tuned quite frequently and sometimes it fell off a bit in accuracy by the end of the week when the maintenance was due, but it was still impressive to have something keep track of the hours that wasn't just sticks or stones stabbed into high sunny places.

After climbing the circling stone staircase of the technical wonder, one would find a quaint little viewing area with some seats, flower boxes, and even scopes filled with polished glass for spying on the people of the town squares and market below.

Kairielis leaned up against the railing and took a deep breath in of the twilight air. She decided it had the triumphant smell of freedom. Which apparently smells an awful lot like the gardenias blooming next to her.

She fiddled with the blindfold she had temporarily tied around her wrist, now that it wasn't necessary any more. What a crazy, unexpected, topsy-turvy mess of a day. It was still hard to believe she had only met these two this morning, but everything already felt so different.

And that one really had done what he promised, despite all her doubts earlier. He had taken her on an adventure without even leaving home.

* * *

"I'm...not so sure about this."

It was a bit of an understatement. She gripped the reins in front of her, trying to suppress the shaking of her hands. Riding the wyvern wasn't the problem. No, she had done that plenty of times. It was riding a wyvern while blindfolded that had her concerned.

"Don't worry! We're right here next to you!"

 _Thanks a bunch, Sora, for that comforting notion,_ she thought to herself sarcastically. It's not like they could catch her if she fell off or crashed the poor creature into a wall. Hopefully the fact that Riku was guiding the mount with a lead in front would prevent that from happening. Hopefully.

"But...is the blindfold really necessary for this?"

"Absolutely!"

She could tell that Sora was happy, at least. She still wasn't sure herself.

"And we are going to...where, exactly? I know you said 'adventure' but that isn't very specific, and I'd like to know how long I'm going to have to sit here in the dark."

 _Both literally and figuratively…_

To her surprise, Riku answered for him.

"You're on your way to _not_ see the town, just like he said."

Those two probably couldn't be any more frustrating right now if they tried, but she decided not to voice this thought out loud, lest one of them take it as a challenge. But after the wyvern had been cajoled into a slow walk, she wondered if this whole thing was more than just a deceptive play on words.

"Um…what should I-"

"Just keep your ears open. Oh! And your nose."

She waited, silently trying to observe as much as she could with her unimpaired senses as her mount trudged along some unknown path. Might as well do her best to give it a try. She could hear people muttering a bit among themselves, likely about the strange display of their princess being paraded around like a circus attraction down the cobbled streets. She did her best to not concern herself with it, sitting up as straight and tall in the saddle as she could.

 _If I am going to look ridiculous, as least I can look regal while doing so._

She also was wondering with trepidation what Sora could possibly be wanting her to use her nose on when the answer came wafting straight into her. It was a pleasant mix of freshly baking bread, the strong flowery smell of vanilla and yeast.

"This is one of my favorite places." Sora introduced something to her; not that she could see it.

"And over here is Claire. When she's not rolling dough or frosting something she's out in the courtyard feeding the pigeons with the spare crumbs."

The even sounds of a broom sweeping across cobblestone abruptly stopped and she heard the light tap of shoes, slowly approaching closer.

"Ah, you little scamp! I was worried you weren't going to come visit much any more now that you are guardi—o-oh my...i-is that…?"

Kairielis could hear a woman's voice stuttering a bit in surprise. It seemed she was finally noticed. She tried to bob her head a little, doing her best to not unknowingly break any of the various rules on decorum about how far to lower her head to others. The rules were quite specific about that sort of thing in regards to the status of the person she was greeting. Which...was a lot easier to determine when you could actually _see_ the person you were trying to recognize the presence of.

There was some hushed, hasty mumbling as she overheard her two knights were now struggling to explain this whole ridiculous parade to the presumed baker she couldn't see. Something about introductions and 'maintaining impartiality'.

"I see!" She could hear the woman again—Claire, was it?-and then the ruffle of clothes, like she was moving somewhere. Also there was a strong smell of flour. She really must be a baker.

"Well, in that case, it's very nice to meet you, Your Highness!"

She wished she could see what was going on. Reaching up to take off the blindfold, she heard Sora hastily call out to her.

"Hey! Uh...if it's okay could you keep that thing on a bit longer? I want to introduce you to all my friends and show you my favorite places around the town but you said you weren't allowed to actually get to know anyone, so...if you leave that on until my tour is done there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"To elucidate: he's allowing you to meet people while still maintaining your impartiality towards them." Riku interjected and surmised.

Is that was this was about? To take her out to 'not see' the town, meeting people without actually seeing who they are and what they look like? So she wouldn't actually know who they are? It was kind of a crazy idea, but...maybe it was just crazy enough to work?

She rested her hand back in her lap, willing to let her tour guide do his work.

"Okay, great! To start, I wanted to introduce Claire, here. Even though her custard tarts are super popular she saves a few now and again especially for us knights up at the castle because she thinks every good deed fuels another. And nothing fuels goodness better than delicious desserts!"

"Oh stop it with those honeyed words already. Unfortunately, no custard tarts until this heat wave passes. They don't manage too well. Last thing I want to do is make anyone sick."

She sounded quite motherly.

Kairielis smiled a little to herself, thinking she could maybe picture what she looked like in her minds eye, safely knowing that her assessment was only a mere guess.

"How long have you been baking for?" She couldn't help it. Even though she was blindfolded, it didn't mean she couldn't ask her own questions, right?

"I opened this place ten years ago and she's been the pride of my life. Nothing feels better than making sure the hungry don't stay that way for long. And this little one certainly loves his sweets."

Sora's voice bounced back, carefree and excited. "Who doesn't?"

"The one who has to share a bunk with you and constantly worry about ants."

The baker let out a full belly laugh. "Oh dear, I hope he isn't leaving crumbs everywhere."

"No way! I always make sure to eat every bite, I promise." She heard Sora huff a bit. "And so far no ants."

"An accomplishment for the ages."

Kairielis could hear Riku's finely tuned sarcasm from even up where she was sitting.

Equally amused, Claire momentarily flounced off into her shop, judging by the sounds of her shoes clacking against the stones and the faint jingle of a store bell. When she returned, she must have had something good with her, because Sora was cheering quite happily about it.

"I know that Her Highness isn't allowed to accept anything edible, so I put something else in there for her, if it's allowed."

This piqued her interest, but she couldn't check at the moment. Even then, the present would have to be approved first before she could get her hands on it. More rules. She heard Sora thanking the baker profusely for whatever it was, and to her surprise the wyvern already started moving once more.

"Sorry to pull this short, but it's time to move along."

It seemed like Riku was doing his best to keep their little adventure focused.

Kairielis had no idea where Claire was now, or if she was even hanging around anymore, but she tried to raise her voice before getting too far away, just to make sure she could still be heard.

"It was nice to..." She realized that 'meet' probably wasn't the right word in this context. "I was very glad to learn about you, Claire. Thank you for your thoughtful gift."

Another soft rustle of clothing that was perhaps the baker offering a bow or curtsy. "You're very welcome, miss."

As the wyvern departed from the vicinity of the bakery, she could hear Sora hanging back and waving off some last minute goodbyes. Riku, leading the beast below her off to the next destination, kept his voice low.

"Claire is really quite charitable. Most likely because she lost both of her children during Darkfall."

"Oh...that's..."

There really wasn't an adjective terrible enough for her to choose.

"It's not an unusual story. But in her case, rather than let her grief consume her, she instead embraced the citizens of this area as her surrogate children. She really enjoys being able to see people happily eat her cooking. She also takes a vested interest in those she knows were left starving during the Reconstruction, making lots of cheap or even free food available for them."

"Is that why Sora goes to visit her every now and again? To keep her company and cheer her up?"

There was a bit of an unusually long pause. Long enough for her to notice, but not long enough for her to be sure if it wasn't just her overthinking it.

"...Probably. He's mentioned something along those lines. But he also really likes the free sweets so it's a toss-up."

Kairielis smiled to herself, remembering that old phrase: you are what you eat. She was a little jealous that he could eat sugar soaked breads without having to worry about fitting into those dreadful thin bone-lined dresses for political outings. Not...that he ever should need to wear a dress in the first place, but still. She figured with all the physical training they had to do every day he could probably afford to eat whatever he wanted anyway.

Speaking of Sora, she finally heard his feet approaching and he once more began his tour, directing her attention over to something else not visible.

"Over there is where Old Lenny lives. He's _huge_ , and he actually knows how to count, too!"

 _...What?_ That was a...horribly insulting thing to say about someone. Surely she was missing something here. Just flat out calling someone a fat simpleton seemed remarkably out of character for him. By the sounds she could discern, it seemed like they were currently going over a wooden bridge. What, was Old Lenny a bridge troll?

Riku grunted. "It can't count, it's a fish. It's only interested in bugs, and floating specks that look like bugs."

Well, that certainly explained things, then.

"Then you've never met Old Lenny! I'll go show him to you, he should be swimming here this time of day."

"And I guess she'll just have to take your word for it?" She assumed Riku was making some kind of indication towards her blindfold.

She shrugged in his direction, hoping she wasn't just motioning to the air. "It's okay. I like the idea of a big, fat, old, counting fish. I'll choose to believe it even if I can't see."

Sora seemed to like her answer.

"Okay, so, if you hold up your fingers he can swim in circles that exact number of times. Go ahead, try it."

She heard some more rustling, and a bit of splashing coming from the gurgling pond below the bridge. After some silence, Riku didn't deny the mathematical feats of Lenny the old fish. He only sighed, then Sora gave a quietly triumphant 'told you so'.

She was perfectly content filling in the lines about what just happened.

As they continued on, nearly every street had more and more people that Sora was introducing her to. All of them, once they figured out what was going on with their little parade, were quite happy to say a few words and wish them all good tidings. She was also a bit stunned that he not only knew all of these people but that he could keep their names straight as well. Clearly Sora made a habit of getting to know people of all types.

He also had a very odd way of introducing them that was a bit hard to explain. He never listed merely their occupations or generic traits to her, but something intimately unique each time. No one was just 'nice,' there was always some reason why he thought so. And it always seemed accurate. Not that she could really be sure, but no one seemed to argue against him.

"Over there is Alain Verreau. Don't ask me how to spell it, I barely learned how to say it properly. He is usually painting the shoppers in the market when it's really busy because he thinks people are the most honest when they aren't posing. So...most of his paintings are of people arguing over fish."

She could smell tarnish and paint, mixed with the distant scent of seafood; hear the swish of a brush against an easel. A man grunted triumphantly and spoke in such a thick accent she had trouble understanding what exactly he was saying.

"Za gurl on zee steps, vonz more zee its 'ere. Vye zis 'ame painvul vace? Zee ez now een tvelve painting."

Despite the accent, Sora seemed to process what he had asked, and pondered things for a moment, humming in thought. "Maybe she's just looking for a friend? You could always try setting up your stuff by the stairs sometime. She might talk to you."

"Zis...may worth tryink. But light ees no good zere."

Before she could stop to question it, they were already moving on. She wondered where this man could have come from, and what language his home spoke. Why would he come to live here, rather than there?

"It's a great time at the market! In the early mornings on the right days you can hear prices being shouted across the streets so loud that a lot of people wear hats over their ears to block out the noise."

"Hats knitted lovingly by yours, truly!" A chuckling elderly voice drifted up to her ears, but she wasn't sure if it was male or female.

"Sarah, you've still got the record for furthest squash thrown in the rotten vegetable chucking contest, right?"

"Oh you know it, dear." Another elderly cackle. "You youngsters think you have me licked but I still show you up every year. Only time you'll beat me is when I'm cold in the ground!"

Kairielis wondered if this was a case of her being abnormally muscular, or everyone just humoring her, but she preferred to picture the more amusing option in her head.

She could hear the rattle and bustle of crowds close by, and fearfully retracted inwards in worry that she might brush against someone unknowingly, but Riku offered her his reassurance that they were taking quite a wide berth, so she could relax. Sora continued trying to guide her with his words.

"There are so many stalls here today, but on market day it's even crazier! Fish, fruits, strings, beads, candles, animal feed, just about everything. Today it looks like there is a sale on octopus, so people are all lining up, buckets at the ready."

She knew she had smelled something fishy.

The tour moved on, and steadily, bit by bit, Kairielis began to understand. While she was currently clouded in darkness with only the sound and smells of the world around her, she felt far from isolated. Such vibrant and distinct lives pulsed through the streets; the lifeblood of her kingdom. And there were so many fascinating souls among them.

"If you do go to the market, never, ever haggle prices with Darlene here. She has a really sharp eye, tongue, mind...pretty much sharp everything. Even her collection of antique knives. I'm not sure what makes a knife antique, but she seems to have figured it out."

"And I know how to use 'em, too. If you wanna look at the collection that'll be one silver piece per person!"

 _All of these people..._

"And this is Wilbur Larson. He always keeps a bottle of freshly ground up clovers with him for good luck, and likes hiding a little around the town when he goes on walks to spread the luck to different people who might come by during the day. Maybe that means us today?"

"Maybe so!"

She heard the sounds of someone blowing sharply into the air, and the sudden rush of the scent of freshly cut grass.

 _I never even knew their names before…_

"Rielyn Aysel teaches really formal ballroom dancing after she was inspired by the crazy bobbing and weaving of the birds she used to watch."

"Still do! Those little guys give me great new dance step ideas."

 _And while I still couldn't pick them out among the others…_

"Emmett Brown is normally not out on Tuesdays, but he is trying to get over some of his superstitions. It's really hard to change habits like that, so it's great he's trying to get over a new one every day. How are you doing today, Emmett?"

"N-not poorly...pet three black cats so far."

 _...Because they would all blend in together like pebbles on the shore,  
_

"Gwen Kaven is always looking for every mystery of the world and trying to solve it. It's a great way to help people feel a bit less anxious about what they can't understand. Oh! And if you ever lose something it's a good idea to ask her for help."

 _Somehow just knowing that those pebbles are a small piece of the shoreline is wonderful._

They turned off of the cobblestones, and she could feel her wyvern padding through what felt like dirt roads.

"Do you smell something that's a bit like roasted apples? That's coming from the orchards where Akio makes cider doughnuts. People will line up there all day just to grab one."

"Why am I not surprised that you know where all the unhealthy stuff is sold?"

Even though it was maybe not as novel to him, she was glad that Riku also seemed to be somewhat enjoying the little tour as well, in his own way.

"Sora...you seem to know so much about nearly everyone. It's really impressive."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah...I guess so."

What, did he think _everyone_ could nearly name a whole town full of people so easily?

"It's just that I owe a lot to the people of this town. They each have helped me out now and again, so...whenever I can I try to do the same. After a while I guess I learned a lot about them all without thinking."

She was curious about what sort of things he could need a whole towns worth of expertise on, but recalled what Ienzo had told her that morning about his title, or lack thereof. He had passed his exams because of accumulated good deeds.

"The truth is I actually failed the knight entrance exam my first time. I spent the time waiting for the next test doing favors around town. I decided that, even if I don't ever pass the exam—being a knight isn't about titles or even how strong you are. It's about supporting the people who need it if they find a problem they can't solve themselves. And I decided to try to do that all the time, if I'm a knight or not."

"Did you pass the next exam?"

"Yeah...so now I have some more responsibilities, but I still feel the same way about helping out." He cleared his throat. "It looks like we might have a bit more time left, so...did you want to keep going?"

"Please."

It was all she had to say. Almost like he was extra motivated, Sora led them through the streets now as if it was a race, calling out names and places as they went past in a flurry. He was shouting out all manners of descriptions, stories and types of people.

A courtyard where lovers lingered at twilight to hear poetry sung by the minstrels, the park for young children that was guarded heavily by a stern Miss Gloria Blitherbottom who hated pea soup, the old farm tool shop that everyone claimed was haunted by the ghost of a goat, and Daryll Baggerton the goat herder who said that was rubbish.

But Sora's voice soon was drowned out by something else entirely. What had once been mumbling among the people as they questioned this strange event as they passed by, became cheers across the alleys once word began to spread. All sorts of people were shouting, down from windows up high above her, from the fields and open shop doors alike. Likely running from all over just to catch a glimpse of her on her strange parade.

All thanking her.

Every single one.

From the crystal mines, to the alchemy shops, ateliers and food stalls alike, everyone stopped to greet her. At least, as far as she could tell anyway. The town simmered with sounds, or even the lack of them. The blacksmith hammers stopped pounding, the peddlers halted their peddling, just so they could call out to her instead. Perhaps there was a grouch or two sitting in the back, vexed that their shopping was to be interrupted—but if those people existed, they certainly weren't making their presence known to her.

The same beautiful reality that she always knew was once more reflected back to her like the shimmering water of a shallow river. On the surface the reflected image was clear and obvious. She loved the people of this town. And they loved her. But while that love was brimming and full, it was just as shallow as the river. Even if she tried to reach in and submerge her hand in the waters, to look any deeper, the image on the surface would shatter and be swept away on the current. She loved them, so she couldn't touch them. They loved her, so the same. Imprisoned by love, by duty, always forced to watch the waters of the river pass her by on its journey elsewhere.

But today it was a little different. She could actually feel the love that she had only ever been told was there. And that made all the difference.

She was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by everything, all the names and details swirling in her head like a whirlpool. All the thanks she had never been able to hear herself before. And among that dizziness, her heart had never felt so alive. She clutched at her chest; fearful and inspired. She was so moved that she hadn't even noticed the tears at the edges of her eyes being soaked up into the blindfold's fabric.

Kairielis felt like, while she was currently deprived of her sight, it was almost as if she was seeing the town for the first time. _Really_ seeing it. Hearing it. Feeling the way it moved and breathed.

A true whirlwind adventure.

And just when she thought she couldn't take any more, the clamor of voices slowly dimmed, and it seemed that they had arrived at a more quiet corner of town.

"Hey, so...it's getting a bit late now, so there's just one last place I wanted to go, if that's okay."

She could only just nod off in Sora's direction, her head still swirling.

"Okay. When we get there you can take your blindfold off. Er...you _should_ , I guess, because otherwise you'll miss it."

"Miss what?"

"The sunset! Where we're going will have one of the best views in town."

She didn't doubt his words, but she had no idea how right he was until they finished guiding her to the base of the tower and told her to finally remove the slightly damp cloth from in front of her eyes. She blinked against the harsh light, trying to adjust her eyes as they ascended the stairs to the viewing area at the top. When she finally got there, and could gaze at the wide expanse in front of her, the scattered roofs of the shops and houses she had just been led through bathed in reddish orange light, she felt the overwhelming hum of freedom singing inside of her.

The sunset really was something else.

* * *

Kairielis breathed in the scent of the gardenias next to her once more, still feeling full of renewed hope. To know that all the people that she could barely see bustling down beneath the tower, like little specks, were the same sort of people she had learned about today was a real blessing. Sure, she wouldn't ever really be sure if that one crossing the courtyard with a hand cart was Darlene, Amber, or possibly Elizabeth, but she supposed in the end it was better that way. It was one of them. Or none. But she knew they lived, somewhere beneath her, and she had to do her best to keep them all safe.

She peeked over at her two knights and her exhausted wyvern, roped to the platform perch where it sat back on its haunches, snoozing into its own breast.

Riku had his arms crossed, and was leaned up against one of the banisters, his eyes focused intently on his surroundings. He looked like picturesque vigilance, not a hint of sleepiness on his face. His friend, however, had plopped himself down on the edge of one of the bench chairs by the clock tower overlook, looking like a typical carefree teenager and at the moment, was yawning heavily.

They were so opposite, but fit together more naturally than jam on bread.

"Thank you again for the...adventure. For fixing it. For everything."

Still yawning, Sora mumbled back a few unintelligible words before she was actually able to parse what he was saying.

"…eeling better...s'all that matters..."

She was pretty sure she understood.

"I'm feeling much better." And, also feeling a little bit more bold than usual, she decided to join him over on the bench.

Sora glanced a bit at her and slid slightly to make sure she had enough room, but she was definitely aware about keeping a decent space cushion between them.

"I never knew so many different types of people lived outside the castle."

And quite a lot more she hadn't even gotten a chance to meet, too.

She heard Riku murmur a bit, acknowledging her statement. "And most importantly, you'll never know if he was telling the truth about any of it."

There was no way that tour had been a lie. Maybe if Riku had been the one running it, but she was fairly sure that Sora lacked a single deceptive fiber in his entire being. She decided it would be a good opportunity to mess with him again, though.

"Oh? He was lying to me? I'll be quite cross if I find out you were a liar, Sora."

She tried to settle her face into shocked disbelief as if she was horrified at the mere thought, not trusting her acting skills. However, by the fact that he started trying to utter out a panicked defense she figured she'd done a pretty good job at looking upset.

"Huh? I didn't-if I was lying why would I have bothered with asking you to wear a blindfold the whole time?"

Gently tipping her head side to side, she tried to keep that same serious look on her face, but a tiny smile slipped out. "Maybe you're just trying to cover your tracks, to keep me from suspecting you of deception?"

He could only laugh at this, and point to himself incredulously. "Me? The true devious mastermind?"

Alright, so at least he agreed it was an absurd accusation.

"Of course there's only one way to know for sure!" She said, trying to sound decisive as she did so. She was making this up as she went, after all. "Even the best actors can't hide the truth in their eyes."

"In...my eyes?"

Putting a hand across her heart, she grandly started reciting as if from memory. "The eyes are windows into the soul! They show only the truth! If you stare deeply enough into them, you can read the secrets that lie within the heart."

It sounded like something that would be found on some preachers book, anyway. Not bad for something off the cuff, she thought to herself proudly.

"Really? Like this?"

She turned her head, startled to see the pair of twinkling sky colored eyes focused on her own. Incredibly, breathtakingly closely. She felt hot chills, like sudden streams of both fire and ice were now flowing through her body at the same time. Why was he this close to her? He really shouldn't be getting this close to her.

"Y...yes. Like that."

But more importantly...why wasn't she moving herself away from him?

Still waiting for her answer, he sat, gazing up at her face with eagerness.

"So, what do you see?"

 _It's just a game. There's no harm in playing along._

Yet the more she stared into his eyes, the more she began to feel like the even ticks of the clock tower had begun to slow, the space between seconds growing longer and longer until time crawled to a stop altogether.

She wondered how long he would wait for her. Or if he was content just waiting.

And the one answer, the only answer she could think of tumbled unceremoniously out from her lips.

"Love."

Time snapped back into motion as he fumbled backwards, somehow managing to trip himself while sitting down.

"A...U-uh..."

He stared up at her, blinking, feet twisted sideways around the seat of the bench, half fallen over the edge.

 _Of all the stupid, stupid things to say!_

"No, no, I didn't mean...I wasn't saying..." She lightly smacked her own cheeks in hopes that it would help her actually spit her explanation out. "I meant about the town! About the people that live here! You are a very loving person and I can tell you care a lot about all of them. That's...that's what I saw."

 _What in the name of all that is holy is wrong with me..._

Riku was looking impressively dour in the corner, and she didn't even want to try seeing what was hidden in his disapproving eyes, knowing it would be some sort of reprimand. She waited while Sora struggled to right himself up from the twisted half fallen position he had ended up in.

"O-oh!" He managed to free his foot. "I think I get what you mean. Sorry for misunderstanding."

"I-it's okay..."

She felt more foolish than this morning standing over the burnt carpet, if that was even possible. Stealing another glance at his face, she saw he was back in his seat, smiling up at her again.

"So...um..." She fiddled with a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, trying to think of something to change the subject. "I hope this doesn't offend you, Sora, but why did someone like you try to be a knight in the first place?"

She wasn't sure why she thought he would be offended. He just laughed, like she should have expected.

"Why? Is there something else you think I should be doing?" He flashed her a playful grin with that bright face of his.

And the princess suddenly felt something very odd that she couldn't explain. But perhaps if she had to try, she would have settled on the words warmly thankful.

"I'm not sure. I could see you working with animals. Like the wyverns, maybe?" She bobbed her head over towards the sleeping one perched out over the edge of the tower.

She heard Riku grunt a little from the pole he was rigidly bracing against. "Don't encourage him, he's already smuggled more than enough illegal pets into the barracks as it is."

"Pets...?"

"... _if_ you can call them that." Riku corrected himself.

"Hey, just because it's not a typical cuddly animal doesn't mean it doesn't need looking after!" Sora tried to defend himself, but it only made her more curious.

"Um...what sort of animals?" It was impossible to hide the shiver of trepidation lacing her voice.

She glanced back at Riku, who started counting them out on his fingers.

"A crow, at least two lizards, more mice than I can count, and then there were the crickets..."

"It was just one cricket..." Sora mumbled.

"I don't care how many it was or wasn't. It was still too loud. That stupid thing kept me up for weeks."

Half of her almost expected something even more out of the ordinary, like a spotted Gargoyle. Kairielis also recalled the brief conversation with the baker from earlier in the day and tipped her head teasingly to the side.

"But no ants, at least?" She then giggled at the sour look on the face of the boy next to her. "So that settles things. You'd be running a bug circus."

"Sounds about right."

There was a certain heaviness in the way Riku said this that almost made it even funnier to her. Bunking with Sora seemed to have quite a few unexpected hurdles. But she realized he had also not answered her question.

"You said before you would be happy enough not being a knight, but yet you still fought hard to earn the position. There must be a reason."

He looked uneasy now. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed the question.

"It's...because of a promise. A really, really important promise I made with someone. It's because of that, I...it's because of that person I'm here."

He was being vague, but she could tell there was a lot of meaning he was putting behind those words. Whoever he made this promise with must have been someone special. And he was staring at her again, with that same bright vibrancy she had started coming to expect from him. She started to wonder what he was looking for when he stared at her like that. Was he trying to read into her eyes? See what truths lay inside of her heart? While he had put her on the spot before she had never gotten the chance to ask him what he could see in her. She was sure if she asked him to he would say something unwaveringly positive and sweet.

 _Or at least_ _something more eloquent than what I flubbed out._

Keeping her gaze locked on him, she smiled a little, trying to think good thoughts just in case it helped somehow. It helped that he was basically radiating positive thoughts himself. Oddly, Sora was the first to break eye contact. He fidgeted and abruptly turned away.

Hmm, that was odd.

Ah well, maybe she could at least try and figure out who this mystery person was that he made a promise with.

"So...was that promise you made with Riku? Maybe when you were kids?" She took a stab at a guess, but he seemed to find her attempt pretty funny and laughed, denying it with a head shake.

"With...your parents?"

"Nah, my mom is still trying to get me to quit and come back to work at the accessory shop with her. I miss her a lot sometimes but I don't think I could sit inside all day and not get antsy."

Riku chuckled a little bit. "You know you can't. I remember all the complaining you did that one summer you had to watch the place for a month..."

"Yeah, well her health has never been better so hopefully never again."

"Uh-huh. But if I remember correctly I ended up doing most of the work."

"Says you! I was the one having to deal with all the customers."

The two of them were having some light-hearted jabs at each other, but Kairielis couldn't help but worry maybe his work was keeping him away from his family a bit too much.

"I hope you're able to visit her, at least?" She fiddled with her dress a bit.

"Oh, I do! Every chance I can! She'll always say it's not enough time, though."

Another laugh from him, but Kairielis wasn't anywhere closer to her answer to who this mysterious person was that he made his promise with. Yet with each guess she was stealthily learning a bit more about him. She decided to try again, with a wildcard guess this time.

"Was your promise to...one of Riku's parents? A teacher? A neighbor?"

"Aw, now you're just stretching. Nope, nope and nope."

She was starting to get a bit flustered with not getting a single hit, or even any semblance of a clue. She just kept throwing guess after guess at him, all misses. Finally, exasperated, she gave it one more shot.

"Was it someone _special?_ A _girl_ , perhaps?"

His voice caught in his throat and his pre-planned 'nope' stuttered to a halt.

"K-kind of..." His cheeks reddened slightly and he looked away again.

 _Oh..._

She paused, shocked. Honestly she hadn't expected to actually get a result with that one. She wasn't sure why it had seemed so far-fetched, now that she actually considered it. Why _wouldn't_ a cute, considerate guy like him have at least several interested ladies lined up? But for some reason that almost made her feel...strangely frustrated. Joining the knights to impress a girl was just so...shallow. And disappointing.

"I see." He must have noticed the terseness in her voice and he glanced back over.

"Uh, it's not exactly-"

"No. It's fine. That sort of thing isn't my business."

It really wasn't. She shouldn't have asked.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder she tried to quell some of the energy that was suddenly coursing through her. Irritating, pulsing, fiery energy.

"But...um..."

Sora might have been trying to say something, but she wasn't really listening to him at the moment.

Standing up, she paced around a bit before finally settling up against the railing. She needed to change the subject. Anything.

"Riku, what about you? Why did you become a knight?"

She wasn't expecting him to answer, but was surprised when he offered up one relatively quickly. Maybe he sensed that she was a bit on edge and was trying to ease her down a bit.

"I already informed you my father was a knight, correct?"

She nodded, remembering when it had come up briefly before.

"He taught me the most important thing I can do in my life is have the strength to protect what matters most to me. I decided being a knight would help me with that goal."

"A very noble goal." As she had expected from him. "If I might ask, though...what matters the most to you?"

His answer came back wonderfully simple and prompt.

"Family." He thumped Sora softly on the back of his head. "And to me, family is more than who is related to you by name or blood."

"Heh...and you call _me_ a sap, huh?"

"Oh, you are, don't worry."

Sora had such a content, yet slightly embarrassed laugh about the compliment, and she could see Riku was trying not to show too much of a smile himself. Their happiness was almost contagious.

It was so, so hard to stay upset with them around.

She sighed, staring out at the pinkish orange sunset, smelling the gardenias. Night would be closing in soon, and it would be better for her to be back within the castle grounds before it got too late. After all, the wyvern needed to be returned to the roosting room, dinner would be fully prepared by now, and she still hadn't yet trimmed some of the branches off her bonsai trees. She also had the gift from Claire still sitting in its bag that she would have to hand off to the inspectors for approval. She didn't have high hopes that she would see it again, or even learn what it was in the first place.

Despite how wonderful this day had been, she still felt pings of sadness echoing throughout her. If only she could have someone like that in her life. Someone who wasn't family, but cared enough that it didn't even matter. Someone who decided you were just as close to them as any brother or sister. A...surrogate family, like the one Claire had made for herself. While others could reach out to one another for help, she was always left out in the cold.

Yet, despite the lack of such a thing in her life, to know that bonds that strong existed around her and weren't solely found in children's tales, filled her with hope. Just because she couldn't experience it, it still made her heart glad to see.

"This kingdom is...all the more richer because of people like you two, loving and protecting it. I just wanted you to know that, no matter where your futures take you, I wish you happiness."

Maybe it wasn't an impartial thing for her to say, but she believed every word.

* * *

"I...had fun today. Please take care of yourselves tonight, okay?"

She paused at her doors, resting her fingers on the engraved wood. Sora gave her a silly salute. Earlier today she might have thought he was mocking her again, but she was confident now that wasn't the case at all.

She knew that soon after they made it to her room, the night guard would come to relieve them and she would have to say goodnight. She had never really met the night guards. Ideally she wouldn't have to, so she couldn't even be sure if they were the same people as always or if they shuffled the position around as well. Either way, she was a little sad at having to turn in and bid these two knights of hers farewell. She had never felt that way before, and the entire walk back up to her room she tried to convince herself it was fine, that they would be along soon in the morning.

She didn't want to say goodbye. Not even knowing they would be back. So she stood, hovering, by the door. She had been specifically warned not to do this, not to play with fire and get attached, but now she was idly watching the flames lick at her skin, only waiting for the pain of the burn to come. And the worst part was, she couldn't admit it, or she knew Riku would chastise her for her carelessness.

"Did you want us to walk you over to your bed, too?" Sora asked her innocently, maybe unsure as to the source of her hesitation.

She blanched, feeling hot embarrassment again at the predicament she had gotten herself into.

"Of course not!"

"S-sorry, I only-" He seemed taken aback by her outburst, but she doubled down.

"W-what an impertinent question. Of course you aren't allowed in my room! You would only be allowed in if I was being attacked by some hooligan in here." She shoved open the door and marched in, spinning on her heel to scoff haughtily back at them both. "And I doubt that's going to happen!"

Shutting the door with a heavy slam, she instantly regretted it, but had far too much pride to take it back now. She really should open up the door and face them for a proper goodnight, but part of her feared if she saw them again she wouldn't want to close the door again. Her fingers hovered on the handle, and just as she was about to inch the door open, she heard a soft knock and a cheery voice calling out to her from the other side.

"We'll see you bright and early tomorrow! Good night, Kairi!"

What in the name of all the holy deities of the Gardens was wrong with her today? She slumped against the wood of the door and sighed. Giving herself a few motivational taps on the cheeks, she resolved to get herself to bed _immediately_. This was nothing some good rest couldn't cure, she hoped.

It only occurred to her later, after she had changed into something comfy and crawled under her covers, that she realized what had just happened.

He had called her Kairi again.

* * *

"So...other than almost breaking nearly every rule in the book, how do you feel?"

Sora made sure to follow his friend closely, not wanting to get lost in the halls of the castle another time today.

"Pretty good!"

"Is she how you thought she'd be?"

Sora pondered this for a moment, letting the sound of their clomping boots fill the quiet candle lit hallway.

"I think so. She's kinda stubborn and bossy sometimes, but that's just because she's a really determined person. I can tell she's motivated to do her best and has this really sweet kindness to her. Like...she tries to see the good in everybody."

"Explains why she could put up with you."

Sora grumbled and purposefully stomped his boot down on the heel of his friends' shoe, causing him to stumble out of it. Riku rolled his eyes and stopped to readjust it before starting to lead them back towards the barracks with the other knights.

"I still remember how nervous you were this morning. Buzzing around, refusing to sit down, making an absolute menace of yourself..."

"Ugh..." He couldn't really refute that point. He _had_ been extremely nervous. But anyone would be!

"Anyway, anything else you need to tell me?" Riku pressed, and Sora knew there was something specific he was trying to weasel out of him.

Better to just be honest.

"Well...I wasn't expecting her to be so..."

"...cute?" His friend filled in the blank for him, and Sora flushed.

"N-no!"

"So you're saying she's not?"

"I didn't..." He groaned. "Stop putting words in my mouth! I was _going_ to say I wasn't expecting her to be so...relatable."

"In what way?"

"Well...I was worried that she was going to end up all proper and stuffy like most of the people around here. But I can tell she likes being silly too, and while she follows the rules she wishes she didn't have to."

"She's got a bit of a temper, though. You'd better be careful not to make her cross with you again."

Sora shrugged playfully. "It'll be fine! Besides, she's kinda cute when shes flust-"

Oops.

Riku gave him a _look_ and he knew he was caught. "M-hmm. So it wasn't my imagination and you really were checking her out a little?"

"M-maybe a little..." He couldn't hide the smile he felt spreading across his face.

"That's what I was worried about."

Riku stopped short, and Sora crashed into him with a yelp.

"You can't get too attached to her."

"But..."

"You can't." Riku gripped his shoulders firmly, a bit too firmly, and shook them. "Not just because it would be taboo, but because I don't want to see you getting hurt. You need to at least _try_ to keep your orders in mind."

He slumped his head forward. Above all, no matter what the orders said, there was no way he was going to treat her like an object or precious trophy to hang on the wall. She was her own wonderfully spirited person and he wasn't going to ever see her as less than that. He just couldn't understand why they wanted, no, _ordered_ everyone to do something that cruel.

"...she's really lonely, Riku. I want to help. And...the promise I..."

He felt his friend release his shoulders just before giving his hair a rough tussle. "I get it. You know that I do. But you need to focus on your responsibilities and keep any fantasies you might have in your head where they belong. I saw the way you were looking at her. Nip that stuff in the bud."

"R-right..."

"You want to protect her. And that might include protecting her from yourself."

"What makes you so sure this is going to be a problem, anyway?"

"She's frustratingly exactly your type."

Riku was the one being frustrating. It made sense for him to be concerned but Sora felt like maybe his friend was taking things a _bit_ too seriously. Just because he thought she was a _little_ …absolutely beautiful.

And what did he mean by ' _your_ _type_ '? He didn't even realize that he _had_ a 'type'.

"I don't think..." Another glare from his friend silenced him and he backed down. "Okay, okay..."

Riku nodded, as if convinced, and started walking again.

"Also, just giving you fair warning in advance- if I ever hear you moaning her name in your sleep you are going to wake up to a face full of cold lake water."

That was more than uncalled for so Sora shot him a frosty glare.

"Give me a break...I'm not gonna-"

"You sleep talk _all_ the time."

He deflated. "...seriously?"

"Seriously."

Shifting his weight between his shoes, Sora started feeling the heat of embarrassment rising in his face. "...a-about what?"

Riku was clearly enjoying this way too much, but dropped the matter unusually quickly. "I'm just messing with you. If you do talk, it's gibberish, mostly."

Gibberish was fine! He could deal with gibberish. Sora was about to relax when Riku about-faced to give him a stern look once more.

"But I'm serious about the other things. Don't forget that. Help her, protect her, hell even if you get a crush on her it's not ideal but it should be fine. Just don't fall in love, please."

"It's only been _one_ day, how could I possibly fall in love in a _day_?" This wasn't some fairy tale, after all.

His friend rubbed his temple and eyes, an unseen heaviness weighing down on him.

"Please, Sora. You're important to me, and..." He sighed. "I can already see this spiraling out of control, so I wanted to at least _try_ and stop it, to save you from the heartbreak.

There was a lot more bouncing around in his head, but Sora decided a simple response was best for right now.

"Thanks."

"I'm glad you listened. At the end of it all I know you aren't the kind of person who can easily put a stopper on your feelings, so no matter what happens just stay honest with me. I've got your back."

Sora burst into laughter. "I know you do. That's why I always have to find new ways to keep you on your toes so you don't get rusty."

He dodged under Riku's attempt at smacking his arm and continued down the hall. It was looking more familiar now, so he was fairly sure he wouldn't need guidance the rest of the way back.

The two knights walked side by side, both appreciating the mild coolness the night air brought with it. Sora was starting to feel fairly drowsy, so once the barracks came into view he yawned.

His relief was short lived.

"Heya, punks."

Oh, great. That slicked-back head of blond hair approaching them was unmistakable.

It was Seifer: that annoying guy who kept insisting he and Sora were rivals even though Sora definitely didn't remember signing up for anything of the sort. That pestering kind of guy who would stop at nothing to try and prove he was Mr. Bigshot to everyone and everything.

Mr. Bigshot sauntered right up to them, a sneer plastered on his stupid face.

"Heard you two had a lovely romantic time taking the princess out on the town. Little lover boy already trying to sink his claws into her and doom us all? I bet stalking is a lot easier when it's royally mandated." He cracked his knuckles. "Maybe I should fix you up so there's nothing to worry about."

Sora bristled. For the last time, just because he joined the knights for her sake in the first place didn't mean he was some crazy obsessed stalker. Before he could retort, Riku stepped out between them.

"Seifer, how many times do I have to tell you to leave him alone?"

Rolling his eyes, he made a mocking bow. "Oh! Well, _pardon me_. I forget how tough it must be for you, having to guard _two_ princesses now."

"I'd rather be a princess than a jealous jerk."

Not an elegant retort, Sora considered, but at least it got his point across.

"Tch. Me? Jealous of a dunce like you? Not likely."

"Then don't act like it." Riku said simply, yet pointedly.

Seifer jabbed a finger into Sora's shoulder.

"You'd better watch yourself. Your knight in shining armor isn't always going to be there to save you."

Not wanting to start a fight this late at night, Sora just smiled back at him. "Thanks for the warning, I'll do my best."

His face looking like it was about to steam, Seifer made a gesture to indicate he was definitely not letting things go before finally stomping off, muttering more insults as he went. Sora was sure he heard 'air head' and 'poser' several times.

"That was weird..." Usually he wasn't so...overtly aggressive. Competitive, sure, but not...outright mean. Something was definitely under his skin, more than typical.

Riku kept his eyes steadily on the retreating knight until he disappeared around the corner.

"It's good he left. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now."

Sora definitely felt the same way. All he wanted was a quick shower and to crash into bed. This summer was so unusually hot, and so much had happened today in particular.

They both finished up the night routine as quickly as possible.

But even as tired as he felt when he was finally dropping into bed, he just couldn't relax. Intrusive thoughts kept creeping into his mind, forcing his eyes to snap open.

One in particular kept circling back to him like a hungry shark. That melodious giggle that sounded like a forest stream rolling across a shore of pebbles. That faint tint of pink on her cheeks when she was excited about something…

Up on the clock tower, her eyes had focused on his so innocently and full of life; a window into her heart. And when he peered in that window, he saw sparks of real, pure happiness and it made something inside him melt.

' _You wanted to kiss her.'_

That snarky little voice inside of him started to laugh.

 _Shut up!_

He yelled back at it inwardly and smacked the palms of his hands over his eyes, hoping maybe he could blot it out.

But, smelling blood, the thought circled back around.

' _If she wasn't the princess you would have tried.'_

 _No! I…_

It refused to leave him alone.

 _'Her skin seems really soft, doesn't it?'_

 _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

 _'She's everything you hoped she would be. Because she never changed.'_

 _It's not like that..._

 _'Finally being around her just confirmed what you should already know.'_

 _No,_ _I don't know!_ _I don't know anything…_

And it said the words he had been dreading inside.

 _'_ _You're already in love...aren't you?'_

 _No way! I can't be! It's only been one day! No one could possibly fall in love that fast! Even in the fairy tales the snow princess took at least three days to find-_

 _'But it hasn't been_ _only_ _one day;_ _not even close_ _. Surely you know that much.'_

He started to feel a little sick, like his stomach was floating.

 _But_ _Riku told me not to…_ _and I said that I wouldn't!_

 _'He must have already realized it's a lost cause. You can't hide from it.'_

 _No…that's..._

 _'Just admit it.'_

 _Leave me alone..._

 _'You love her.'_

It was incredibly hard to ignore all those tell-tale giddy tingles he felt pulsing through his body as half of him was realizing what the other half was trying so desperately to deny. The thought of her was making his heart beat faster. And he couldn't sleep.

Sora stuffed his face into his pillow and groaned with muffled anger.

This sucked.

* * *

He was not the only one left restless that night. Alert ears could make out the warbling singing from one of the guards as he paced about during the night watch.

 _Somewhere deep, in caverns dark. It lingers, waiting, for its mark._

 _The beast of black, the seed of death once more will rise, leave us bereft._

 _Fear all, the call, for that foul day, the day our light for'er fades away…_

The guard, temporarily distracted by a swooping bat, let his voice trail off into the night.

But something, somewhere deep, in caverns dark, had been listening.

Because it was already awake.


	5. Ch 5: Drawn In

No one knew who the cat belonged to, or how he had even come to live here in the first place. Some say he simply arrived one day, blew in like a bad storm. Or, as some theorized amid snickers, the castle itself had willed him into existence just to torment misbehaving miscreants. Most likely, someone had left a door open late at night and the cat had wandered in, finding chasing mice to be a lovely hobby and so was permitted to stay, even long after he had given up on rodents altogether. But that wasn't nearly as interesting of a story.

He didn't have an owner, so he didn't really have a name, but Kairielis had taken to calling him Doc Berlioz. He was certainly prissy enough to have a pretentious name like Berlioz. Most everyone else just called him Destroyer of Carpets. She decided to shorten this to Doc instead, and tack it on as his title just for fun.

Regardless of what he was called, his attitude was ever unchanging. Swipe first, ask questions later. He only really ever trusted people he knew the smell of and had decided were pleasant company. So Kairielis was safe, as were most of the more permanent staff members, but anyone else was fair game to his clawed judgment.

That was why this morning, she was particularly confused to be greeted at her bedroom door by the sour face of Berlioz, the puffy feline menace himself, slumped relatively contentedly within Sora's arms. One grumpy face nestled right below a bright one.

"Good morning! This guy really wanted to get in your room and I figured you didn't really want your rug all chewed up, so...sorry if I woke you."

He had an apologetic look on his face, a bit regretful at his perceived inconvenience, but it did nothing to dampen the cheer in his eyes.

In all honesty she had been up for a while already, she was just a bit lost in thought so the knock was actually quite welcome. That, and she was still too stunned by the relatively calm demeanor of His Kitty Majesty to really complain anyway.

"Ah...um...you can just set him down now."

Complying, Sora bent down to set the cat back on the slightly frayed rug by her door. Once free, Berlioz gave an exaggerated yawn, a stretch, and started immediately cleaning his face. Sora gave him one last parting scratch on the ears, to which the cat gave an appreciative purr.

How did he do it? He had a long way yet to explain how he was able to accomplish this feat so early in the morning and not be sporting extensive scratches down his arms, but she decided it didn't really matter. It seemed best not to question things with him.

She silently watched the cat waddle into her room, jump up onto his favorite chair and slump his fat rump down on a very well-loved periwinkle pillow for a nap.

"That really is odd behavior from him, you know. Just be careful next time, I don't want you getting attacked. He's more of a princess than me sometimes."

Sora tilted his head, bemused, over at the cat snoozing gently on the chair. "What's his name?"

"He doesn't really have one. But I call him Doc Berlioz. It stands for Destroyer of Carp—ah..."

She noticed Riku, finally, standing by the door, observing her closely and she cut herself off, realizing that the last thing she wanted to do was remind him of the awkward situation in which they met her yesterday.

Riku, she noticed, was somewhat suspiciously eyeing the frayed bits of rug in front of the door.

" _C_ _arp_ , you said? I wasn't aware they swam in this area."

"A-ah...of course they do! There's a very lovely Koi Pond in the east garden."

"Hmm. I see."

He clearly didn't believe her. What a way to start off the morning.

Shaking her head, she gestured off over in the direction of the temple. "Well, no sense in loitering around here. Off we go! I'm a very busy woman."

Good thing she could use the Light ritual as a distraction this time. She saw Sora's face light up as he remembered where they were headed. She also didn't miss the warning glance Riku shot him, and the subtle gesture for him to be quiet. No doubt he had already gotten a stern talking to about proper decorum in the temple.

It was a very serious place after all. Filled with very serious people. And water. Lots and lots of water, ready and waiting for her light to make it shine. Shine like the morning like bearing down on the three of them as they crossed the gardens to the sacred inner lake. She couldn't hide the skip in her step, the irreplaceable excited lightness of joy lifting her up to the toes of her feet. A whole new day, a whole brand new day. And they had both come back to her, just as promised.

So together they went, for her to do the same thing she had always done.

But it certainly didn't feel the same.

* * *

The cool water refreshingly lapped at her bare feet as she stood on the half submerged stone path leading out to the center of the deep pool. The surface appeared smooth and still, but she knew this was just an illusion, as she could hear the musical cascade of the falls as the very edges spilled out over the surrounding wall. Well, _fall_ was more of an expression, considering that the water actually rose upwards through the various instrumental pipes along the outside of the temple. The castle scientists had long puzzled the reason why in some areas the water simply flowed... _up_ , but as far as she knew, if they had figured it out no one had bothered to fill her in. But it certainly seemed like a decent place to build a holy temple of water, she couldn't argue with that. Taking advantage of this natural phenomenon, the architects of the temple placed various reeds and specially designed holes into the pipes winding around the temple, directing the flow of water as it flew upwards. The result of this work was a natural hymn constantly echoing through the very walls up into the sky. The water, upon reaching the pinnacle of its height, sprayed out into the clouds as a fine mist, often decorating the nearby lake view with arching rainbows.

She knew the tune of the lake music by heart, and had written her own words to match every changing note, just to give herself something to focus on as she completed the ritual. She sang it to herself sometimes, when she was feeling particularly peppy.

And despite feeling peppier than ever upon entering the pavilion, now that she was starting her procession to the center, she realized one simple problem. She was far too nervous now to mutter a single lyric.

She cast a glance back over her shoulder at Sora and Riku who were standing in the usual guard positions by the door. But unlike usual, she was ever the more starkly aware at the fact that they were staring at her. And Sora was smiling.

Oh gosh, he even just waved.

She licked at her lips in hopes that it would help moisten the sticky dryness of her mouth.

Nope, still parched.

Instead, she fiddled with the sides of her skirt, while wondering if she should make up some extra flair and pretend that simply was the way it was always done. Just for fun. Tell them both it was required for all onlookers to do a dance number like a minstrel's jig around the center podium or something. Maybe she should tell them they had to pray too, or shout something triumphantly ridiculous into the air, a spectacular 'Callooh! Callay!"

It would be funny, but then she would have to deal with them, er...Sora rather, doing that every time. Riku definitely wouldn't. Besides, it would be a little cruel to try to make them do something so ridiculous every morning.

Maybe not, then.

Without realizing it, the entire time she had been thinking, her feet had been propelling her forward across the stone path, as if moved only by muscle memory. She came to a stop in front of the podium that rose up out of the very center of the pool where the water was at its deepest. But thanks to the stone path she was on, it never licked her higher than her ankles.

Nothing else to do but just free her mind and get this show over with.

Resting her left hand on the top of the faintly luminescent crystal set into the podium stand, she brushed her other hand briefly against the small stone hanging around her neck before placing it under a single running stream of water pouring down from the ceiling, just under the skylight.

The only stream actually falling.

Her fingers rustled through the water and she closed her eyes, feeling the round crystal under her hand grow a bit warmer, slightly slick with her sweat. She gripped it a bit more tightly, using it to keep her balance.

It was like second nature, performing Light Refraction. She didn't have to think about it, just feel the light inside of her burn, and flow out through her fingertips. Like usual, she tried to let her mind run blank, but felt the same disturbing thoughts that had woken her from her dreams this morning bubbling to the surface.

It felt like she was standing beneath a massive scope, being glared at by either something horribly malevolent, or worse, something that considered her predicament to be a trifling amusement. The Gods, if they were up there somewhere, were surely not beings she could understand. Seven beings, each supposed to be so distinct and care for the world in their own way, their names and depictions carved into the walls of every holy building, and even a few homes of the especially devout or superstitious. The grand Celestial Seven, who purged the darkness from the gardens long ago, keeping it a safe, beautiful land of peace. The ever considerate Celestial Seven, who granted her family line with the blessing of the light so they could always protect it and drive any creeping darkness away.

Their blessing. Or maybe their curse.

She tried to accept that there was a reason behind it all, but it felt at times like she was being toyed with. Why else would those deities have chosen to pass over her mother? Compared to her, Kairielis was clumsy, rash, easily flustered, not to mention her mother was downright womanly, elegant in all the right places, while she was, well…

A puny stick bug with a temper. That must be how the Gods saw her. Yet for some reason they chose her. It must be a joke. Kairielis shifted her bare feet on the stone floor, trying not to let her insecurities disturb her work.

But it still felt like someone or something was watching her. Someone far less friendly than the two knights keeping their eyes focused on her back as the pool of water around her slowly filled with bursting golden streaks of light. She hoped that her work, at the very least, would be appreciated among the two she knew for sure were there.

* * *

She took a few shaky steps out of the pool. The remaining droplets of water still sticking to her skin, filled with the twinkling glow of light now dancing about inside, slid off of her ankles and returned home to the lake. Not a speck wasted. The water, now filled with light, would eventually travel throughout the kingdom, spreading her blessing with it.

Without really knowing why, she lifted her chin and her eyes immediately searched for him. Maybe just because of how excited he had been yesterday. Or maybe because she was greedy for the praise. Whatever the reason, she found him quickly and beamed.

" _This_ is Light Refraction."

She proudly gestured behind her, and expected Sora to start chirping off a thousand different synonyms for 'amazing' just like he had when they first arrived at the temple and he got his first look around the place. But he seemed so far moved beyond words that he could do nothing of the sort, his excited face frozen in a breathless gasp.

Oddly, it was one of the best compliments she had ever heard.

She saw Riku giving her a slight nod. "Nice work. Though, it is certainly a lot...flashier than I envisioned."

"It is a bit, isn't it?"

She glanced at the light shifting through the water, glowing and pulsing like lines of fireflies dancing through the night sky.

Snapping out of his stupor, Sora began rapidly shaking his head. "It's beautiful, and not flashy at all! The light is really kind and gentle, even when you look directly at it."

She couldn't help but notice that he distinctly wasn't looking at the water any more.

"I can tell it came from your heart because everything about it is just like you."

He did _not_ just say that.

 _Gods, how am I supposed to respond to something like that?_

She trembled a little at the knees, swallowing heavily. Surely he wasn't trying to...imply anything? He must have just misspoke or something.

Riku gave him a sound smack upside his head.

"Sorry about that. Sometimes he says things without thinking."

She had noticed.

But she was kind of secretly glad he did.

"A-ah, well..." Struggling to regain her composure, she brushed at her hair with her fingertips, suddenly questioning if perhaps she should have spent more time combing it this morning.

Before she could formulate any sort of response, she noticed one of the temple priests wandering in through a side door, clutching a broom. The priest tried not to make himself a distraction, and he resumed his task of softly sweeping circles around the stones, but Kairielis decided it would be best to get a certain knight off the premises as fast as possible before he did something ostensibly...forbidden.

"Anyway this is all finished now, so let's get on with the day shall we? As I said I'm a very busy woman!"

She quickly began marching towards the large main door, covered by the long wisteria trellis and was only relieved when she heard the two of them silently following her.

There was only one problem: she had no idea where she was going to go next.

* * *

To a young child, an expansive field of sunflowers was many things. A golden sea blowing on the wind, in which one could never drown. A maze of twisting stalks, to dodge and slip between at full running speed. Or most vexing for those responsible for babysitting, it was secret place full of the best hiding spots.

Now that she was older, Kairielis was slightly pained to see that the sunflowers were a little bit too stubbly now to provide full body cover. And any maze would be easily solved just by standing on her tip-toes. But it did still remind her of a sea: golden yellow and shifting with every breeze. How long had it been since she last came to visit here? She couldn't really say. And why she had suddenly decided to venture here with her two knights? She couldn't really say either. Maybe because Riku had reminded her of the nearby Koi pond this morning.

But the air in the fields here was fresh, mildly sweet, and carried with it the distant whinging cries of the cicadas in the tall oak trees beyond. It was the furthest point she was allowed to go, without express permission from her father. Perhaps somehow she found it fitting to take these two unconventional ones here, right on the border between what was allowed and what was not. Perhaps egged on by the cicadas, those exceedingly loud insects who patiently keep their heads submerged, unobtrusive, until the one day they can burst free and sing loudly to the heavens as they seek the comfort and companionship of others, at least before, inevitably, their empty husks tumble to the ground, spent and broken, yet far from regretful.

They were so loud she could hear their hum in the afternoons, drifting into the castle on the wind. And while she was sad for them, knowing that their syncopated calls were heralding their own inevitable demise, she believed that at least for that short while they must be quite happy. Or so she hoped.

She slipped her sandals off her feet, her toes digging satisfyingly into the loam as she paced slowly towards the edge of the flowers. As a child, this was the best part. It was upon reaching this spot that she would then turn over her shoulder to give a cheeky grin to her guard before darting, giggling, through the stalks. She cast a quick glance.

He was waving at her again.

Oh, darn it all.

Running away from these two simply wouldn't be fun. She honestly didn't want to escape from them.

She waded, rather than ran, slowly, into the field, keeping one hand raised up over her head, protectively dangling her shoes as she tip-toed her way among the stalks to reach the small central hill that rose up like an island around the sea of flowers. There was a tall oak tree here, with just the perfect amount of shade for reading books on a lazy day. And there still remained, she was excited to see, a small worn plank held up by two thick ropes dangling from one of its branches. It wasn't the most comfortable swing, she remembered, but if it _had_ been she probably wouldn't have spent much time apart from it, so perhaps that was for the best. She had sat there as a child, while her mother would rest under the tree with her harp...

This was where many of their silly nursery rhyme songs were written.

She took a seat, tentatively, forgetting to test the strength of the ropes first. Thank goodness it still held. Things could have gotten embarrassing quite quickly. It was a bit more...snug around her hips that she remembered, though. She flushed, and smoothed down her skirt a bit, still reflecting on the strange comments Sora had made this morning. From a cursory assessment of his words, one might have assumed he had called her beautiful.

But surely not.

She waited there a moment for her two knights to finish struggling their way through the flowers to reach her, and waved them up to the hill.

"Welcome to Rope swing Island, population: three humans, a tree, a handful of ants and one really loud cicada."

Just as she introduced him, or her, the cicada in question perked up its wings and hovered away in a hurry.

Sora watched it fly off with a frown. "Aw, hope we didn't chase him off."

"And in an instant, the population of the island was summarily decimated." Riku said, with the tiniest discernible grin as he leaned against the tree, his emerald eyes tracing the steady flight path of the insect.

She liked when he told jokes, he had surprisingly good delivery. Then again, he was supposed to be pretty witty so maybe it only made sense. Kicking her feet at the dirt below her, she swayed in the tiny plank swing. She didn't feel confident enough to push off too hard, not wanting to snap the ropes, or the branch for that matter. That would certainly make her feel dainty all right, bringing the whole tree down.

"Riku, why do they call you The..." she searched her memory for the correct name. "The Gallant Dawnbreaker, is it?"

"It is. I received that title after some events in Trabia Garden."

What a miserably vague answer.

"What were you doing all the way up there?"

It was pretty far from his home. In fact, she wasn't sure if there were even two Gardens further apart. Riku, she recalled, had said he was from Balamb, the tropical paradise in the south. She assumed Sora was from there as well. Trabia, in contrast to Balamb, was a snowy mountainous region that was mostly famous for its hearty roses and its even heartier people.

"Suffice it to say, the mountains aren't always the best location for a village. And sometimes the greatest enemy one has to face is a torrent of snow."

"So...you stopped an avalanche and saved a village?" She tried guessing.

"Nothing is going to stop an avalanche."

"What did you do, then? Where did the title come from?"

The way he leaned back against the tree lead her to believe that was all he was going to say about the matter. She scuffed her heel through the dirt again. Well that told her...not exactly nothing, but not much either. She glanced over at Sora who was trying his hardest to look particularly interested in the ants crawling up the tree. He would know the story behind Riku's title for sure. If she wanted to know, she knew she could pry it out of him.

That poor, innocent and defenseless boy.

She felt downright scheming as she laid the back of her hand on her forehead and leaned exaggeratedly back on the swing, clinging to the rope. "Oh my, this heat is really getting to me...perhaps you could go fetch me a glass of water, Riku? Pretty please? I'm soooo thirsty."

The knight in question looked like he had just eaten a sour lemon, his eyes glancing between the princess and his friend, not even needing to second guess exactly what her plan was.

"Right. And I suppose if I kindly suggest that you set Sora to that task you'll have a reason against it?"

Kairielis once more faked a swoon in her swing. "Oh, this heat is unbearable!"

Sora finally stopped observing his little ant friends. "If Riku doesn't want to go I really don't mi-"

She didn't even let him finish. "Sora might get lost! And you know your way around so well _Mr. Dawnbreaker_. So if you please..."

"I won't get lost!" Sora started trying to dart off towards the flower field.

"Stop!" She ordered sharply, halting him immediately in his tracks. "You're staying right where you are."

Sora remained stiff, frozen like a statue. And Riku sighed heavily.

He knew her plan. And she knew that he knew. The minute she had Riku out of the way, she was going to force the truth out of his companion who was far too honest for his own good. And there was nothing he could do about it!

Sora, meanwhile, had by now spun back around, his expression desperate, realizing that things were about to get a _little_ difficult for him.

"Fine." Riku grumbled and glared ice daggers in the direction of his friend. "But if you tell her anything I promise you she's going to learn a... _figment_ or two about you."

Kairielis had no idea what that meant, but Sora clearly did, as his face quickly drained of color.

"Hey, wait a minute! You can't-"

Riku's twitch of a smile seemed to indicate that he most definitely could. He offered a ridiculously over dramatic bow to the princess, who knew for sure he was doing it just to irritate her, then reluctantly stomped off to get her water, leaving Sora behind, in a state of absolute panic.

Kairielis watched him go with a huff.

He was far too cheeky sometimes.

"U-uh, so...uh...which do you like more, sunflowers or, uh..." Sora frantically searched around him. "Those...white flowers over there?"

He was pointing to a patch of daisies growing in a little bit of sun by the oak tree. But she wasn't going to let him distract her. She had him right where she wanted him.

"Sunflowers. Now, Sora..."

"Wh-what about...uh...oak trees or-"

"Spill it."

He shuffled a few steps away from her and started shifting his weight nervously back and forth between his feet. "But..."

She felt a little guilty making him suffer, but there was also something adorable about that helpless look on his face.

"If you don't tell me, I'll just sneak into Ienzo's record office later and read his books. I've done it before. So I'll find out the truth sooner or later. You telling me now just saves me the trouble."

He gaped at her, like he couldn't quite tell if she was bluffing or not.

It was a bit of a lie. While she _had_ once slipped unnoticed into the records room late at night and rooted around, she hadn't been able to understand the filing system at all and found nothing of value. Nothing at least, that was worthy of the punishment she received after getting caught soon after. She would definitely never be doing that again. Sora didn't have to know that bit.

"But..."

He was still putting up a surprisingly strong, albeit not very verbose defense. She really hadn't wanted to play this card, but he left her with no choice.

"If you're worried about whatever Riku's blackmailed you with..." She fluttered her eyelashes at him devilishly. "I'll have you know, even if you choose not to say anything I can always simply claim you did. Then your secret will come out no matter what."

Another flutter of her eyelashes and his face started to redden.

"So there's really no need to hold back, is there?"

Oh, she felt pure evil, but it paid off. His whole face was flushed now, despite his attempts to hide it, and all his previous desperation was replaced by embarrassment and defeat.

"It's a bit of a long story..." He glanced up at her, perhaps hoping that this would put her off, but she just waved for him to continue.

"Don't worry about that. It's a bit of a long walk back to get to the kitchen for water."

With a heavy sigh, he plopped himself down onto the grassy hill and started his grand epic. A tale all about Trabia Garden, and why everyone called Riku 'The Gallant Dawnbreaker'. Kairielis listened intently to the whole thing, not even stopping to question when he would use some knight terminology she wasn't familiar with.

If she understood it all correctly, one remote village in the northern tip of Trabia Garden had one day inexplicably disappeared, leaving no signs it had ever existed. The villagers nearby on the other side of the mountains had assumed it was some curse, after having already investigated the whole area and hadn't found even the tiniest shred of clothing from their loved ones that lived there. They were set on having a night vigil of remembrance when Riku happened to stumble upon the situation while on an away mission. He explored the area and, just as they had claimed, the village had vanished completely. However, Riku also noticed that one of the overhanging mountains separating the two towns was significantly less snow-covered on one side and deduced the village hadn't disappeared, but had been submerged under several feet of snow from an avalanche. There had recently been a holiday, with loud fireworks, which may have been the trigger. Despite knowing where the village had gone, it seemed unlikely that anyone would still be alive. So the villagers left the matter alone. Riku, however, spent the entire day—alone and cold, digging deeper down into the snow to find the buried town. He never stopped, even when the temperatures sank into the dead of the night.

The surviving villagers, holed up, huddling together cold, yet still alive under all those feet of snow, apparently claimed that just as their hope had all but faded, a lone knight came bursting through the wall of snow, bringing with him the first beams of sun heralding the new morning. The first sunlight they had seen for days. And so they fondly called Riku their dawn breaker.

She wasn't sure why Riku didn't want her to know something that impressive. Either he was too embarrassed, or he really was that humble. It certainly wasn't information worth blackmailing his friend over.

"Thanks for telling me all that."

Sora gave a halfhearted shrug and flicked at a few spikes of his hair absentmindedly. "It's not like I really had a choice, did I?"

"If it makes you feel any better, because of my infinite generosity, I'll be sure to tell Riku you held your ground and didn't slip out a single crumb of information."

He laughed at this, and it lay unspoken between the two of them, but they both knew such a thing would be a futile effort. But while it would be fighting an uphill battle to tell a convincing lie, she was willing to give it her best shot. Just for his sake.

Unfortunately, she had no idea that Riku was already leaning up against the tree behind her, having approached quietly at some point during story time.

"And what happened to your desperate thirst, Your Highness?"

She shrieked, nearly tipping herself off of the swing.

"Riku!? When did you-"

Rather than answer her question, he silently extended a cold portable water pouch and glowered. She sheepishly reached out for it, knowing she deserved any scolding coming her way.

"Thank you..."

Sora was also looking quite sheepish himself, flicking a few blades of grass next to him, trying to look anywhere but his friend.

"And as for you..." Riku analyzed him thoughtfully, before tossing a separate pouch in his direction. "Make sure you stay hydrated too. It's hot out today."

Sora caught the water lobbed his way, stunned. "You're not mad?"

"Not particularly."

Heaving a huge sigh, Sora flopped backwards onto the grass and tilted his head up to his friend, grinning. "Great! For a minute there I thought you were going to tell her about-"

"By the way, Princess, just thought you'd like to know that Sora still sleeps with a stuffed purple dragon he's named Figment."

It seemed like even the cicadas had briefly paused, shocked.

 _Oh gosh…_ she would have never guessed _that_ would be the blackmail Sora was hiding from. But judging from the speed at which he hurled the water pouch back over at Riku's head she could tell it was something he had clearly wanted to stay hidden.

"I can't _believe_ you said it!"

"I did promise you I would, didn't I? Aren't promises important?" His mocking tone didn't go unnoticed.

Sora ruffled his hair with both hands in frustration. " _Yeah_ , but it's not fair! She gets to learn something incredibly awesome about you and then when it's about me you tell her something _so_..."

Unable to take it any longer, Kairielis finally burst into a fit of giggles. "It's cute."

She saw him freeze, blinking, processing what she had just said. But something wasn't quite connecting.

"I have a little stuffed unicorn named Buttercup that will always be my go to snuggle buddy." She confessed, hoping to make him feel a little better.

But, judging by the further horrified embarrassment spreading across his features, her words had the opposite effect.

"It's not...I don't..."

Riku was amused, at least. "Well isn't that nice, now you two have something in common you can talk about instead of me."

The poor thing was really looking defeated now. She gave him a sympathetic smile, wishing she could also give him a comforting snuggle just like with her unicorn.

 _I bet he's a lot warmer than any stuffed anima_ _l. His hugs must be nice._

The thought so carelessly popped into her head that she nearly gasped, her eyes snapping open wide. If that thought had been an object, she would have gladly hurled it so far away from her it would have gotten lost somewhere among the sunflowers. But unfortunately for her, forbidden thoughts like that tended to hang around.

And worse, they often sifted other thoughts to the surface with them.

She fidgeted, unsettled in the swing, feeling something suddenly ominous drifting towards her, but tried her best to ignore it.

"W-well no matter what Riku says, I think it's very sweet. Is Figment something you've had since childhood?"

"Y-yeah, basically...but no matter how old I've gotten I decided that I can't just leave him behind."

And before she had realized it, something worse had indeed sifted itself to the surface of her memory. Bringing with it a tremor of fear, a fragment of something long buried filled her senses.

-" _I can't just leave him behind! Please! Let me go!"_

The sour smell of rust.

Her hands, still clenched around the thick rope of the swing, gripped it even harder, her nails starting to dig into her own palms. But she suddenly felt light, dizzy, disconnected from herself, like she was a spirit floating above a puppet. Only looking in. The rope was now cold, clammy, stiff like metal. Immovable metal. Metal that was trapping her, keeping her from reaching out.

Ice cold against her hands.

The sour smell of rust grew stronger.

The warmth of the sun was gone.

Voices getting closer.

Shouting, shouting, through the dark.

The gnashing teeth of the rats, haggard with crazed, twitching eyes.

"I can't...leave him behind..." Her voice echoed his words back monotonously, sounding distant even to her ears. Trembling, her eyes flickered up to his, but she was barely registering his face.

"Please...don't...go..."

"H-huh?"

Everything was spinning, the world around her blending into waves of a golden sunflower sea. An emotion she couldn't explain rattled her heart, freezing it in place.

Terror. Pure anxious terror. She thought she could see concern spread quickly across Sora's features for a brief moment before she couldn't see him any more. The sparkling light of the sun flickering through the boughs of the oak tree danced in circles in her vision.

Something smacked her hard in the back, and her vision fell black altogether.

* * *

"-on't touch he-"

"But she's—t!-et-go!"

"-an't-eep-calm-"

She could barely hear the hum of voices above her, and something cool, cold, and wet splashed against her face. Uneasily, she let her eyes sway open to see everything above her that was still a mass of shifting fuzzy objects. There were two vaguely person shaped lumps hovering near her, and she tentatively called out the names of her knights, hoping it was indeed them. When she foggily heard their confirmation she relaxed again, at least knowing they were there.

As her senses slowly shuffled back into action, spurred on by the light trickle of water raining down on her forehead, she was able to piece together what had happened. It must have been another one of those horrid day terrors. A waking nightmare like the ones that used to plague her nearly daily for years after Darkfall. She had thought she was long past such things, but clearly not. This one had been so bad she had fainted straight away, thumping her back hard against the dirt below the swing.

Feeling much clearer headed, she blinked up at the now distinct forms of her two knights peering down over her. She dizzily sat up and waved away the next attempt of theirs to pour more water over her face from those travel pouches Riku had brought with him earlier. Tentatively she began a rough examination of her body, just to check. Her ego seemed to be the most bruised bit of her, thank goodness.

Both Sora and Riku looked rattled, but not entirely confused. She assumed they already had her terror episodes explained to them, but it was probably still a shock to see. Besides, she hadn't had an episode that strongly in _years_. What could have brought it on?

"You're...okay, then? Do you need a doctor? More water?"

She saw Sora's fretful eyes examining her over and over again and she hastily adjusted her skirt, realizing how sloppy and unkempt she must look.

"Yes. No and no. In that order."

While Sora was doing his best to swallow his obvious concern, she noticed Riku was regarding her with a still, collected calmness, analyzing everything with his sharp, owl-like eyes.

"You aren't showing any outward signs of heat sickness. It must have been what they called a day terror, then?"

She nodded, embarrassed, trying to keep her face hidden from them.

"We were briefed about such things, but I never expected to see one arise so suddenly."

"Me either..." She huffed, through gritted teeth.

Why couldn't things like this just _stop_ , already.

Despite Sora's hesitant protests for her to rest a little longer, she gripped the swing dangling in front of her to use as a ballast to stand.

"I'm fine. Really. Maybe a little headache, but that's it."

"Even if that's the case, I think it would be prudent for you to get out of the sun, at least." Riku gestured back to the nearest section of the castle. "The East Wing is close by."

He made a good point, but still…

That was the _East_ Wing. That meant…

"I'm not sure if I should intrude there. It's...I mean..." It was sometimes hard to voice complaints that were more based on emotions rather than anything sound or reasonable.

Sora put a hand over his eyes so he could look out towards the part of the castle in question. "Intrude? On what?"

"It's more of a _her_."

"Well, whoever it is, I'm sure she would understand if we told her you were feeling sick!"

Of course Sora would say something like that. But Kairielis wasn't sure what the lonely girl in the East Wing would understand. If she understood anything.

Though maybe...maybe this time would be different?

She gave Sora a halfhearted nod.

"It's worth a try..."

They patiently waited with her while she regained her balance, and began shuffling over towards the castle. She really did feel a lot more sick than usual after a day terror. Like her legs were made of wet paper. Maybe because this one had hit rather suddenly. Maybe it was the heat. But she realized even if she hadn't wanted to see her cousin today she really didn't have much choice in this state.

As she slowly wobbled her way across the field, her eyes focused on the castle looming ominously ahead of her. Thankfully, neither Sora or Riku had a single complaint about the snail-like pace she was moving at.

"So, um...who is it that is in here anyway?" Sora finally got around to asking.

She was wondering when he would do that.

"My cousin. Namine." She hesitated. "But...there's something about her you should probably know first..."

* * *

Both of her knights still seemed too stunned for words, shifting their focus from one girl to the other. She wasn't surprised in the slightest. Nearly everyone had that same reaction the first time they saw the two cousins near one another. It was clear: they looked far more like sisters than cousins. Eerily so. It seemed the most likely reason was that Kairielis got the same features from her mother that Namine had gotten from her father.

The shape of their faces were nearly identical, and while Namine had a much more frail, sickly body, they could be easily indistinguishable with the right clothing and something covering their hair. Kairielis had always been jealous of her cousins long shimmering tresses, the same pale yellow color as afternoon sunlight. It was angelic, perfectly matching the deep ocean blue of her cousins' eyes. She remembered more than once sitting hours under the harsh rays of summer sun in a desperate attempt to bleach her hair the same hue. She wanted to look just as fair. No such luck, obviously.

Other than their similar appearance, they also almost shared a birthday, with Kairielis being exactly 3 days older. 72 hours only had decided that her cousin was summarily spared the curse of the light.

A mere 72 hours. Though that wasn't to say her cousin didn't have a curse of her own.

As a child she was sweet, maybe a little shy. But ever since that horrible time of darkness she never was the same. No longer spoke. Barely registered anyone's presence. Couldn't even walk. She was just...blank. Like her whole personality had been shredded, and she was the molted shell left behind.

She would sit in her wicker rolling chair in the East Wing for hours, silently staring, blinking. At least, only when she wasn't twisted over in spasms and screams, reliving events from the past that long haunted her. Like the same day terrors that used to fill Kairielis' mind, but worse.

It was painful to think of what horrible things that must be playing through her cousin's head to keep trapping her so, even after all this time. Kairielis wanted nothing more than to drive those inner demons of hers away, and get back the precious cousin she used to share so many memories with. Namine was her first friend. Her...only friend, really. But no one really knew what happened to her during Darkfall. She had been hidden away somewhere for her own safety, and when she was discovered again she was already changed, traumatized and broken.

But now, for whatever accursed reason Kairielis' mere presence was often a trigger for those deep buried fears in her cousin's mind, and often the sight of her face would send Namine spiraling back into some dark, sad place. Any visit longer than a few moments would turn that poor girl into a mess of writhing agony and tears.

So she stayed away. Avoided the East Wing, where her cousin often sat in the ivory room with the many bay windows adorned with long draping curtains, her eyes staring vacantly outside. Avoided looking at the twisted forms of the nightmares scratched out on the sheets of sketch paper that her cousin produced almost compulsively, as if she was trying to force the visions out of her head by pinning them down on paper.

She loved her cousin. So she stayed away.

Yet every now and again she hoped Namine would get better. That one day they could chat and play like they used to. Well, maybe doing more grown up things than stuffed animal tea parties or decorating all the stone columns in the castle with daisy chains.

She cast her eyes out across the room at her long lost friend.

At the moment, at least, Namine seemed to be tolerating her presence. Her cousin sat rigidly in the wicker chair, a stack of her precious sketches clutched on her lap with shaking fingers. In order to keep herself as unobtrusive as possible, Kairielis had taken a seat by one of the large windows in the corner, draping the long sheer curtain over her body as an extra precaution.

Her legs felt wobblier than a pudding being carried on a serving platter. It was good that she was able to sit down inside here briefly, out of the sun, but there was no telling how long Namine would be able to tolerate it. The moment she felt stronger she would politely excuse herself.

The faint metal clanking that was steadily approaching from behind the far door let her know that Namine's personal guard was returning back with the cold drinks she had rushed off to fetch. It was awkward enough having to confess what had happened in the sunflower field to her, but Beatrix, The May Rose, being ever prudent, knew not to pry for too many details. Beatrix also knew that extra cold water, with a hint of peppermint had always helped the princess feel better after such things, and had rushed off immediately for some.

There was a soft rap on the door, and Riku, realizing Beatrix would have had trouble opening it while balancing a tray stacked with a pitcher of mint water and several glasses, opened it up for her, greeting her in the process.

"General Beatrix." He tipped his head towards her.

" _Former_ General. I'm her personal guard now, so there's no need for such formalities."

Beatrix smiled towards the tiny girl in the chair, and set the tray down at the table next to her. Doing his own part to help out, Sora started separating the glasses and filling them from the pitcher.

While Kairielis didn't know Beatrix too well herself, she knew that she had once been a decorated, well renowned General of the royal army. Nearly everyone knew her name and feared her sturdy but elegant strength. There had been so many rumors ranging from the outlandish to vindictively cruel about why she so suddenly renounced her position to watch over Namine instead, but no one really knew the true reason. Kairielis liked to believe it was out of compassion and whatever metrics with which Beatrix ruled her own personal sense of duty. She was also glad Namine had someone strong yet kind to watch over her.

Once the water was poured, one glass for everyone in the room, Sora walked one over to where Kairielis was waiting at the window. He outstretched the cup in he direction, but she could only stare at it. How was she supposed to take it when his hands were already wrapped around the whole thing like that?

"Um..."

Realizing his mistake, Sora stuttered out an apology and set the glass carefully down next to her on the sill. Meanwhile, Beatrix was attempting to offer one to the shivering girl with beautiful blond hair who was still pawing at the papers on her lap. Namine barely seemed to register it, so Beatrix tried coaxing it into her hands for her.

Sora tipped his head to the side, watching this with absolute curiosity.

"You can...touch her? Do you have special powers too, Beatrix?"

The most common misconception. She wasn't surprised that Sora assumed that because Namine was a princess as well that the same rules applied to the two of them. Beatrix gracefully set him straight.

"Namine does not carry the Ability. Such restrictions on touch apply to only one...Her Highness, by the window."

Still prudent, Beatrix knew fully well not to say Kairielis' name out loud. That was something else that very easily throttled Namine into a nightmarish fever dream.

"Oh...so it isn't a problem for me to talk to her?" Sora approached the table cautiously.

Beatrix lifted her heavy eyelashes and nodded, albeit hesitantly.

"Of course, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. She isn't particularly responsive."

From that smile on his face it was obvious he wasn't too bothered and probably hadn't even paid much attention to Beatrix' warning at all.

"She doesn't have to say anything. I just wanted to keep her company and try to cheer her up a little. Kai-er...I was told a little bit about the situation on the way over here."

Namine was still refusing to acknowledge the water, so her guard set it back down at the table with a resigned sigh then backed up, letting Sora approach the small wicker chair.

"Just mind the rules about names, please. And...try not to look too hard at the drawings. They can be a bit disturbing, to say the least."

Kairielis could see her cousin's back begin to shake lightly and she tensed, worried that a panic attack was incoming. But the shaking was followed by a light scuffling sound of pastels being scraped across paper, and she realized her cousin had resumed her drawings once more.

Still cautious, Sora glanced towards the pile of sketches. "Hey, Namine. We haven't met before, but I know..." He paused, trying to find a way to phrase what he wanted to say without using Kairielis' name. "A friend of yours. Maybe...we can be friends, too?"

Nothing but the sound of wax scratching against paper.

He tried giving her a carefree smile. "You really like drawing, huh! Mind if I look?"

Riku cleared his throat in warning, but Sora paid him no mind.

This time, rather than nothing, Namine blinked up at him from over her parchment, paused, then returned to her work. Taking that to be permission, Sora started looking over some of the sketches that had been already discarded all over the floor, around the legs of her chair.

Kairielis already knew what sorts of things were waiting for him. Gruesome, horrible things. Such macabre material would often draw in a curious eye, then subsequently repel it with feelings of disgust, shame or even anger. Sora seemed like a fairly innocent one, and she wasn't quite sure what sort of stomach he had on him. She figured he would end up needing to avert his eyes quite quickly, and may fall into the same set of emotions.

But Sora seemed to be experiencing none of that as he continued scanning the pictures in awe.

"Wow! These are really good!"

Beatrix nearly choked on her water. "Truly?"

"Well, yeah. I could never draw anything this good. You can really see a lot of detail."

"They aren't too morbid for you? You don't have to be afraid to be candid. They are all quite haunting scenes."

"They are a little scary, yeah..." He tipped his head to the side. "But it isn't really fair to dismiss them, because it's how she is expressing the reality she had to live through, right? Besides, they aren't all bad! See? That one is definitely a rainbow!"

He gestured to one of the drawings scattered near Beatrix' feet and she eyed it suspiciously.

"I suppose it is."

Sora smiled down over at the girl in the wicker chair, still drawing away as if she couldn't even hear the conversation about her art happening just next to her.

"Namine, I'm really glad that despite all the sad things you've seen that you still have some happy memories in there too."

Kairielis almost giggled at the baffled expression on the former General's face. Clearly Beatrix wasn't used to his particular brand of positivity.

"I hope you can draw more of those some day."

Shifting in her chair, Namine seemed to be putting the finishing touches on her latest drawing, but rather than just let it slip down to the floor like usual, she gripped it with both hands firmly and held it out in front of her. Sora tipped his head to get a better look at the picture held aloft on display for him.

His face erupted into delight and Kairielis now really wished she wasn't stuck back by the window so she could see it too.

"Is this...me?"

No response. Namine just kept the picture held aloft, silently.

Rather than let that dampen his spirits, Sora spun back around, gesturing at the drawing with an eager finger. "Riku, look! This person kinda looks like me, right?"

"...Maybe."

She figured that if Riku was giving a response as hesitant as that, the picture was probably pretty accurate. Which was...strange to say the least. As far as she new Namine had never drawn anyone specific before. Just faceless figures. Leaning a bit further out, she tried even harder to catch a single glimpse of the page.

Namine finally released it from her grasp, letting it flutter down to the floor so Kairielis reluctantly shelved all hope of being able to see it. Sora fumbled, trying to catch it before it landed on the ground, but the artist had already moved on to drawing something else, seemingly just as disinterested as before and paid no attention to him when he tried to hand it back to her.

"Um, Namine..." He set the drawing back down on the table and, tentatively, gently, rested a hand on the side of her shoulder. "Thanks for drawing me. Is it okay if I keep it?"

It was sweet the way he kept trying to talk to her, but her cousin didn't give a response. She never did. But something was unusual with this boy. It was obvious to anyone who met him. And maybe her cousin had seen that too. Namine's hand violently trembled, sending her pastel skittering to the floor.

"Ah! Sorry! Let me get that for you."

Sora bent down to scoop it up from off the tiles when both he, Riku and Beatrix froze in synchronized alarm. It was Beatix who managed to speak first.

"N-namine...did you just...?"

 _What? What just happened?_

Kairielis hadn't noticed a single thing from where she was sitting. But now that she was paying much closer attention, her ears slightly pricked at a very light, barely discernible sound. She closed her eyes and strained.

Faintly, like the jingle of a bell, she could hear it.

Namine was speaking.

And not only that, but she was only repeating one thing. A name. _His_ name.

Stunned, Kairielis almost jumped to her feet, but only managed to snag herself on the curtain when her knees wobbled underneath her, still not ready for her to stand. Namine talked so infrequently that it was only ever because of something important. And not only that, but she definitely couldn't remember Sora even _telling_ her his name. How had she known?

Terrified that her cousin was about to fall into another one of her nightmares, she hastily opened her mouth to call out for Sora to move away from her. But only a small gasp could pass her lips before the remaining words froze instantly in her throat.

Because her cousin wasn't having a fit; far from it.

Namine had somehow managed to fling herself at the boy kneeling in front of her, wrapping her arms tight around him as she clung, as if desperate. All he had been doing was searching for a wayward crayon, and instead had found a girl wrapped in his arms.

Sora's face was pure panic as he flipped his attention rapidly between Kairielis, Riku, Beatrix, and the girl firmly nestled against his chest. She kept softly repeating his name, as if it held some special unwritten meaning to her.

What could possibly be going on? What would have prompted such a reaction? So many people had spent countless hours trying to break through to her, but all it needed apparently was one clumsy boy with an endearing smile. One silly yet sweet boy...

Kairielis gazed at the strange sight with an uneasy mix of emotions sloshing around her already uneasy stomach. Namine's face was so...content. At peace. Something that Kairielis had long since wished would come to her cousin. But for some reason she felt...far from happy.

And more than anything she had never been so starkly aware at how much a difference a mere 72 hours could make. Perhaps then she could have been the one who was...

Since when had this room gotten so stuffy? It must be the dust. She needed a fresh breeze. _Now_. Diverting her attention from the sobering display in front of her, she began to fiddle with the window latch.

It jiggled, but stayed put.

She inwardly groaned. One more check back at Namine confirmed she wasn't quite done with her snuggle time, so Kairielis promptly decided she must not have been trying hard enough and wrenched her whole body against the stupid, stupid, broken thing.

She didn't care if it drew attention to her. She just couldn't care right now.

The lock finally gave way with a snap. She hurled the window open in desperation, shoving her face greedily into the fresh breeze to drink in its comfortingly cool embrace.

Unfortunately the thoughts and fears circling her head refused to be blown away.

She was jealous. Over a stupid, stupid boy.

Instead of relief, all the wind brought with it was the scent of sunflowers, and the winging chirping of the cicadas. From their song, she once more heard their fervent assertions that they were happy, content to be only temporarily free in spite of their rapidly approaching end. Unperturbed by their unavailable clash with destiny. Glad they could find a love or a companion, even if they could only touch but one time before their deaths set them apart.

So it was all the more haunting, and her heart stuttered in fear.

 _I am NOT a cicada._ She tried to comfort herself, wishing she could scream it out at the chorus outside.

Their cries continued unabated.

 _..._ _am I?_


	6. Ch 6: Dreaming, in not so many words

_Fluttering petals,_

 _A transient world of dreams,_

 _But love lasts beyond._

* * *

A sudden rough breeze rattled the branches of the tree, startling the two resting beneath it. The princess saw the shadows swaying in unison across the grass as if dancing along with the wind and giggled. Like most young children, she immediately drafted an idea for a new game to play and began leaping between the patches of shade, always trying to keep her toes touching at least one. Also like most young children, her games were laughably simple. It didn't make them any less endearing, however. Her grandmother, while not able to join in leaping around playing leaf shadow hopscotch, still seemed quite content watching.

"Do you remember who we thank for these trees, Kairi?"

The small girl paused in her play, considering the question. "Um...Sir Arnold?"

Her grandmother found it amusing, that the child had named the castle's chief gardener, rather than the correct response she was going for. She shook her head and waved the precious bundle of light over to snuggle with her under the shade of the maple.

"Light is a wonderful, warm, comforting thing. To me, it's like...reading a good book in a quiet place with a nice cup of tea ready. What is light to you?"

Kairi cuddled close to the only person she could. "Um...light is like...bubbles! Big flowers, and raspberries with cream..." She started rattling off her favorite things, using her tiny fingers to count them off. "Cute stuffed animals, drawing pictures with Namine, dessert time with mommy—oh! And seeing grandma! And-"

"And what do all those things have in common, sweetheart?"

Kairi blinked, her mouth hanging open slightly as she searched for the right answer. Her grandmother found it incredibly difficult not to smile at such a caricature.

"Maybe some day you'll understand. But it's important to remember how lucky we are that the light protects us. You know where it came from, don't you?"

The small princess snuggled down closer to her grandmother, experience telling her that story time was about to begin.

"The Seven Holy Ones of the past were once each rulers of their own kingdoms. Eventually they joined them all together to form our Gardens, but back then those kingdoms were a very different place. The scent of darkness filled the very earth, the trees, the air. There was so much to be afraid of."

A small hand clenched at the shawl that the queen mother had draped over her lap to shield it from falling leaves, and she knew to to dwell on such frightening notions for too long.

"No one wants to live in darkness forever. Even when all seems hopeless we all yearn for even the tiniest speck of light to guide us. Somehow the Seven managed to collect the light and banished the darkness from our home. They purified it all."

Kairi bobbed her head in understanding, but was trying to wipe the sleep away from her eyes. She wouldn't be able to remain awake for much longer.

"Their journey isn't over. Outside of our Gardens, outside our protective wall of light there is still darkness. Frightening creatures, hatred, disaster and calamity. But we are spared all those things so long as we keep the barrier of light standing tall and proud. And you know how we do this, right Kairi? The Gods trusted us with the light for generations. As they trust you and me, now."

The queen mother stroked her grandchild's auburn hair protectively as the young girl was slowly pulled into an afternoon slumber.

"Darkness is always trying to corrupt our light. It seeks in ever deceptive ways to destroy our protective wall and shatter our hard earned peace. This is why we must separate ourselves from the world and from others as much as possible, Kairi. To keep our hearts pure, even if it means we can no longer touch others, or let them touch us. It is...lonely. But I will always be with you, for as long as I can be."

Another breeze, lighter this time, bounced the branches and leaves about in the spring air. The young child giggled in her sleep and clutched her grandmother's shawl a bit tighter.

"Together...grandma..." Her little voice briefly sighed as she tried to regain her comforting bubble of warmth and snuggled closer.

"My sweet little one..."

The unmistakable scent of her daughters' chamomile perfume caught her nose, and the former queen searched the garden until she found her face. Her daughter was standing far from the shade of the grand maple tree, her expression twisted with longing as she watched the two of them share a lazy afternoon. As much as she wanted to wave her daughter over, she knew that was impossible.

The Queen, as regal and loving as she was, was among the others.

She tipped her head sadly in their direction, and tip-toed off, alone, through the rose bushes.

Kairi's grandmother faced the sky, trying to not let her eyes spill over with the tears that threatened to streak down her cheeks and stain her blouse.

"Kairi, I fear sometimes that we are all mistaken. For what light would force such suffering onto children, still filled with hope for the future?"

The shadows continued to shift across the wizened time-worn skin stretched over her bony hands. The very hands that had, for her entire life, perpetuated the loneliest family tradition. 'The tragedy of the royal house,' they all called it. And the rumors that the holy waters in the fountains were really made of generations of tears and unrequited dreams still persisted.

"Perhaps the light we carry is a mere projection, a copy of something greater and yet untouchable that is still hiding beyond our reach. Our light is but a refraction, after all. And if this is so..."

She moved to rest her hand against little Kairi's cheek, hoping her granddaughter would not forget the warmth of another in the cold years to come. It was such a burden that she would be leaving her. If only her health could hold out just a touch longer...

If only...

"I want to believe that you will find it some day, Kairi. But perhaps it is not something that can be found by one person alone. Even if that is the case, never doubt your own power. Because I know you will understand what light truly is, and what it should be."

But the sleeping princess heard none of this, her mind drifting content through the world of dreams.

* * *

The dirt clod thumped against the courtyard and split open, scattering into pieces, but it didn't seem to do anything to satisfy Seifer's frustration after chucking it. He clicked his tongue and stabbed his sword point down into the sand, slumping against the stone wall.

"This is a waste of my time."

 _Says the guy who lost…_ Sora mumbled inwardly, trying to shake the numbness out of his wrist. While a quip like that would be satisfying, it certainly wouldn't ease the tension between the two of them. He finally sighed and tried to say something slightly more diplomatic.

"Look, you're the one who challenged _me_. If you didn't want to in the first place then why di-"

The meaning behind Seifer's glare was pretty clear: stop talking. Sora complied and clamped his mouth shut.

"You must be cheating somehow. I've always won before. You're too pathetic to possibly beat me fairly twice in a row."

 _Come on,_ _I'm right here!_ _A_ _t least save the insults until when you are training with Fuu and Rai later..._

Crossing his arms, Sora tried to quell his rising frustration and just let the other knight vent. Seifer was full of a lot of hot air but he wasn't a bad guy, didn't mean most of it, and was a pretty dependable teammate, in the end. Sora knew it was important to not jeopardize the success of any future missions by antagonizing him further. Keeping this in mind, Sora tried to swallow his own opinions down. But that guy made it _real_ hard sometimes.

"I was fighting you fair. Really."

Not to mention, he wasn't even sure how he could cheat in a one-on-one spar. The rules were just whoever got the first touch or disarmed their opponent won, and Sora had definitely knocked Seifer's sword away with his parry. It's not like he had wiped Seifer's sword down with lard from the kitchen pantry beforehand. Ugh, that'd be pretty gross. Besides, he might have technically won, barely, but it still hurt.

And despite Sora choosing not to say quite a number of things to keep the peace, Seifer somehow looked even angrier than before.

"Oh, I get it. Not cheating, huh? Is it because you think you're better than me now? All because she picked you, you're suddenly the expert."

Is that what this was about? He was still upset about the selection ceremony? Surely there had to be more than that.

"I got lucky that she picked me, that's all. Besides, I was training really hard just before the ceremony bec-"

"Because of your promise, blah blah, blah. You never shut up about that. You think you're the only one who is fighting for something? That you're special?"

"Of course not. We all have our own reasons, but we all have the same goal and that's what makes us all work so well together."

Seemingly not getting the reaction he was looking for, Seifer instead glared up at the star strewn sky and smacked his fist against the stones behind him. Against his better judgment, Sora plopped himself down nearby, offering a water pouch over. There wasn't much left, but it was better than nothing. Seifer might get under his skin now and again, but it was obvious he was going through something difficult and needed somebody to talk to who wasn't going to come back swinging.

Seifer eyed the water for a moment, then scoffed, turned his head to the side and spat out across the dirt.

"...Why are you always so damn irritating?"

"Sorry. I'm not trying to be."

Seifer batted the pouch away. "Whatever."

Flippant dismissals like that didn't bother Sora one bit. It meant Seifer was acting normal again. Sora tried not to let him see the smile he felt creeping up inside. He had been worried something really serious had been wrong with him, the way Seifer had been lashing out at everyone lately. But now he was lightening up a bit, thankfully.

The two of them sat up against the wall, staring at the stars silently. He tried not to consider the fact that Riku was probably sleeping easy right now while he had to deal with this extra night watch stuff. At least it was just another hour or so. But another hour with Seifer could get...tricky.

While they sat, silently tolerating each others' presence, Sora thought he heard a faint mumbling coming from the spitfire next to him. It almost sounded like he just said 'happy birthday...alone,' but that was such a bizarre thing to say Sora just assumed he misheard.

It wasn't Seifer's birthday, right? No, definitely not. His was pretty late into winter, just before the evergreens were lit all over Trabia to celebrate the rising north star. Sora celebrated his own birthday in the spring, after first thaw, so that wasn't it either. After all, surely Seifer wasn't talking to _him_. He really wanted to ask, but had the distinct feeling it was something he wasn't supposed to hear.

Before he could decide if he was brave enough to try questioning him, Seifer broke the silence.

"Of all the people I had to get stuck with tonight, it had to be you." He kicked at a loose pebble, sending it skittering across the hard ground. "Hey dunce, you believe in all that crap about destiny? That there's supposed to be some grand purpose for all of us?"

The fire in Seifer's eyes had petered out a bit, and he seemed quite poignantly sad about something, as if he was searching for an answer to form itself in the twinkling lights above. Sora wished he could say something smart, or even philosophical like Riku. His friend was always good at that sort of thing, but as hard as he tried nothing was really coming to mind.

All he could do was be honest.

"I'm...not sure. I just try to do my best. Sometimes it's not good enough but when that happens I dust myself off and try again."

"Heh, well isn't that just a hunky-dory life motto. I'll never understand where the hell you get that optimism from. It's nauseating. Guess that's the one thing they didn't chew out of you?"

Sora scuffed his shoe against the dirt and sighed, trying not to remember. That was such a low blow to bring up, seriously?

"I...guess not."

Surprisingly, Seifer actually looked a tad regretful at his choice of words, and offered a conciliatory sigh.

"Look, don't take me the wrong way. I get it. Destiny's never done me any favors, so screw it, right? Make your own."

That wasn't...exactly what Sora had meant. He didn't particularly mind if some mysterious person or thing called destiny was out there or not, but to Seifer, destiny seemed to be some force that was actively trying to kick up trouble for everyone. It was something he had to actively shut down from intruding into his affairs. That or it was something to show off to, prove something to. Seifer did like being a Mr. Bigshot, after all.

Sora felt like people would be better off if they were more okay with themselves, flaws and all. But that was often easier said than done.

"I think...the most important part is making sure to never give up. If there is destiny or not doesn't matter. If something is controlling when I fail or not that still won't change me wanting to keep going. Keep moving forward from one day to the next! Or...something like that."

At first, Sora was worried Seifer was going to berate him again, but his teammate was finally not glaring in hatred at something for probably the longest stretch of time since their night watch had started.

"You're still a nauseating optimist. But it looks like we can almost actually agree on something, after all." Seifer leaned back against the wall, finally seeming to be a bit more at ease. Finally.

In the silence, Sora felt his thoughts drifting back to a certain feisty princess, who was probably by now sleeping off the pain of the day in her room just over...in that direction. Hopefully she wasn't having any more of those horrible visions in her dreams. She had been suffering from those day terrors more and more frequently now. He hated seeing her face twisted up in pain like that, but the worst part was not being able to do a thing about it. Just having to sit there and wish all the ways things could be different. Wish that he could just wrap her in his arms and tell her all the things he wasn't allowed to say. To comfort her properly, dang it!

These suffocating rules were the worst.

He wondered if at least she was cuddling a certain little unicorn close to her as she slept. This time he wasn't able to hide his smile in time, and Seifer grunted in disgust.

"What are you smiling about now?" Sora opened his mouth but couldn't even respond before Seifer grunted at him again. He liked doing that. "Don't bother answering. Whatever you say'll probably just tick me off."

Fair enough. Sora knew he probably couldn't tell the truth about it anyway.

Gazing upwards, he kept trying to push her out of his mind, but it was nearly impossible. She was everywhere. The fountains, the streams, heck even the little puddles of water that pooled under the watering cans reminded him of all the kindness she offered to everyone, at the cost of her own happiness. She was so...inspiring? No, even _inspiring_ wasn't a good enough word. Sora wished he had a deeper vocabulary to express the swirling clouds of thoughts and feelings that always bounced around inside of him. Wait...did clouds bounce? Not likely.

He shook his head to try and clear it.

Something about the way the stars gleamed in the night sky made them seem so much brighter, but he couldn't tell if that was just the fault of the clear weather or the love tinting his eyes.

Oh man, was he seriously admitting he was in _love_ now? Dang it, dang it, dang it, just thinking the word out loud in his head felt _really_ good.

 _I think I love her._

 _'I told you.'_

Ugh, that snarky voice in his head couldn't help but get the last word in there. This time he didn't even bother fighting it, the thoughts of her were just too nice. She could make him laugh. Heck, she could make _Riku_ laugh, too. And while she was undoubtedly as sweet as pie she had just the right amount of tart to make things interesting. Kind of like raspberries: the best berry ever.

Was raspberry pie a thing? He wanted it to be a thing. Maybe she would taste like...

He realized far too late, embarrassed, that his heart was thumping hard in his chest, and his face no doubt was tinged with a pink which would be a bit difficult to explain away if it was spotted.

That, and...it really wouldn't be good to linger too long on thoughts of her. Not in that way. Because Riku had been right. The more he fell for her the more it...kinda hurt.

Because he could never...

Better to change the subject.

"Seifer, why are you fighting? Against...destiny and all that?"

The knight next to him hawked and spit again out into the sand. "A little birdie told me to."

"Uh..."

"I know what's important and that's all that matters. Plus, it's not like I'm gonna sit here and spill my guts to some dunce who can barely remember how to saddle his own wyvern."

That was _one_ time, and he was super tired that day…

Seifer, grumbling, stood up and smacked at his uniform to clear away the dirt, getting ready for the change of guard call that would be sounding out soon. Sora started copying his move, kicking off the wall and trying to pat the dust off. The courtyard was much drier than normal, mostly due to the drought that was still carrying on. Sora still found himself often looking up hopefully at the clouds whenever they tinged a bit more gray than usual, but there was never any rain to show for it. Several water reserves were hitting their record lows, and that meant certain spots low on the priority list, such as mostly empty courtyards like this, were going to wither up first. He hoped for Kairi's sake at least that it would rain soon.

Feeling clean enough at least to head back without dragging too much of the courtyard with him, he gave Seifer a quick glance to see how he was coming along. His teammate was just finishing up brushing off his shoulders. As he did so, Sora got a slight glance at a shimmering brass swallow Seifer had pinned to the back side of his lapel, hiding it where it was harder to see. It was remarkably delicate, looking more like a brooch worn by a free spirited young woman or someone quite delicate themselves. Of which Seifer was neither. And Sora suddenly wondered if this was his 'little birdie'.

Someone important to him had given him that bird, no doubt. Racking through his brain, Sora was trying to remember him mentioning any girls before. But there was only one name he had gotten second hand from when he had been doing exercises with Rai. Rai was pretty chatty during warm-ups, but it was usually about athletics tournaments. Every now and again, though, he let slip something he probably shouldn't have. Pretty sure he had said once that Seifer had an older sister named...Elaine? No...Ellone.

Smiling, Sora gestured over to the pin. "Hey Seifer, is that cute bird from your sister?...Ellone, right? Oh!" Something clicked in his head from the mumbled words he had overheard, wishing someone a happy birthday. "Is that what you were saying earlier? Is it Ellone's birthday today? Are you going to vis-"

The air was instantly slammed out of his chest. He wheezed, not sure what had even happened before Seifer reared back to punch again, changed his mind, and shoved him hard against the stone wall, gripping a fistful of his shirt.

"Is that some kind of sick joke? You trying to mock her!? Mock me for wearing something girly? _Huh_!?"

Gasping for breath, Sora tried to push Seifer off just to get a bit more room, but he was only pressed harder against the wall.

"Wh...at are you talking about? I-"

"Don't you _ever_ say her name again. She had more grace in her little finger than you can even conceptualize in your pea-sized brain. I'd never let her associate with average pond scum like you. Not even her memory!"

Bright stars like the ones in the night sky started popping into his vision and he struggled again, this time managing to kick Seifer off enough to free his lungs. Sora stumbled backwards clumsily, feeling equal parts relieved that he could breathe again and baffled that he got attacked in the first place. But he also felt pretty bad when he realized what Seifer seemed to be implying about her.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know she..."

Rather than explain, Seifer kept glaring at him, the flames burning brighter than ever in his eyes. "Gods, just looking at you always _pisses_ me off!"

Sora apologized again, not caring about the pain in his stomach. "I wasn't making fun of the bird. I think it's really nice that you keep something of hers to remember her by."

"Ugh! You don't know anything! You just bumble around with that stupid grin on your face and don't know anything!"

Sora ducked away the arm threatening to shove him again. "I might not know much, but I understand when something is important."

Like a beast bearing its fangs, only looking for the right place to strike, Seifer circled him.

"I doubt that. You can barely go a day without mucking up, and the way you're so careless with the princess, it feels like you are just trying to get us all killed, starting with her."

 _Careless_!? Sora couldn't hold back his rising anger this time. This is where he drew the line. Insult him, fine. Insult his intelligence, wyvern saddling or fighting ability, fine. But _never_ question his desire to keep Kairi safe.

"You're wrong! I care about her more than-"

Seifer didn't even let him finish.

"Oh, trust me, I know. It's written all over your face." He reared back to punch again, and Sora had to dodge again, this time getting clipped slightly on the shoulder. Sora winced, but his teammate refused to back down. Seifer continued his rant, trying to rain blows down as he did so.

"Our oaths are one of the most important things we have and you throw them to the wind like they're just _suggestions_!"

A left hook swing and miss.

"Calling her nicknames, bouncing and smiling when you talk about her like some lovesick puppy..."

Another full body punch, aimed at his stomach again.

"It's like you think she _actually_ cares about you!"

"She does care!" His voice retaliated back so loudly it startled Seifer into stunned silence, and the attacks ceased. How could he question something like that!? The fact that she cares causes her so much pain and loneliness. It was her greatest struggle, and anyone should be able to see that even if they only met her once. The way she gazes out at the world around her with eyes that yearn to be a part of something she can never be. It was obvious. And maybe the way Sora felt about her was obvious on his own face, too. But right now that didn't matter.

"She cares about all of us! Every one! She cares so much it hurts her every day, every moment, because she knows she isn't supposed to but can't help it. That's the kind of heart she has! She appreciates everyone for who they are, and is willing to give up everything just to keep them happy! How _could_ she not care!?"

Finally regaining his composure, Seifer snarled back at him. Thankfully not punching any more.

"Idiot! You're just a tool to her. We all are. If an enemy comes knocking you're nothing more than a sword and shield. If she tells you to throw down your life you do that without question, and that's it."

"I will."

Sora's stern, unwavering answer echoed into the night sky. Seifer faltered, at least until the echo died out, but then narrowed his eyes in scrutiny.

"Really?" Backing up a few paces, Seifer yanked his sword out of the sand and pointed it directly at him. "All of us swore an oath to uphold the honor of the royal family. My sister gave her life for that oath. And I'm willing to follow her lead, if I must. I have chosen this to be my path, my self made destiny. I will defend true justice, no matter who I have to cross blades with. No matter even if I have to break the brotherhood code by striking down a former friend should they jeopardize the good of the kingdom. Are you wiling to do the same?"

Sora didn't even hesitate.

"I already told you. I made a promise."

There was a moment of cross tension, as the two knights stared each other down. But Seifer broke first, clicking his tongue and sheathing his sword, this time in its scabbard instead of the ground.

"Fine. Maybe you do understand. But I'm still keeping my eye on you."

Another flippant dismissal. That meant things were okay again. Sora immediately relaxed, glad that things had somewhat been resolved, trying to ignore the ache in his body where he got punched earlier. And...new rule: don't mention his sister again.

But on the bright side, he thought to himself with a slight grin, Seifer had definitely called him a friend. Sure, it was stated in anger as a threat with a sword pointed at his face at the same time, but he was gonna take what he could get with this guy.

Seifer took one look at him and swore under his breath. "What, thankful I didn't stab your heart out? _How_ are you smiling again? Unbelievable."

"I'm just glad I have such a dedicated friend on my side I can count on."

Seifer's face reddened and he punted away a small dirt clod chunk broken off from the one he had hurled earlier.

"Idiot. We're supposed to be rivals."

"Why can't rivals be friends?"

He knew Seifer wouldn't answer that one, and sure enough, the other knight started huffily stomping his way across the courtyard. There was the light dong from the bell to signal the guard change and Sora felt an intense yawn coming on. Great, he could finally get some sleep now. Somehow he had managed to survive a night shift with Seifer, and at least patched things up slightly with him in the process. It wasn't a fantastic way to spend the evening, getting beat up and insulted, but it wasn't too terrible all things considered.

After having sat on his response for a minute, Seifer half turned to shout over his shoulder.

"Just focus on your job. Be her shield. One slip up and you're _dead_. Because if the enemy doesn't get you, I will."

Sora didn't doubt he meant it.

As the two knights started their walk back to get some rest, neither of them noticed the midnight black raven perched high up on an upper balcony railing, its sharp yellow eyes piercing through the darkness with its gaze. Those eyes that had been watching them initially out of idle boredom, now flashed in interest.

It was hard to say why. It was a raven, after all.

The bird tilted its head curiously at the boy with the bright sky colored eyes and bouncy spikes for hair, almost as if it could place his face somewhere in its memory. For good or for ill, the raven then clicked its beak twice, then alighted from its perch.

It was about time to fly.

A little birdie said so.

* * *

There is a special flower they say, that only blooms in the dead of night and guides enamored lovers to its presence. The flowers are rumored to glow the same pale luminescence as the moon, the petals easily scattering along the breeze and filling it with so many fluttering pale lights it was almost like being in the center of a blizzard. Were it not for the warmth of spring, it would easily feel like winter had come again. The legend says that together two lovers can dance through the gale of flowers, unseen and undisturbed by the expectations of the world.

Kairielis reached her fingers towards the image of her face reflected on the surface of the mirror. The tarnished edges were chipped, her eyes looking back at herself trapped and desperate. But as her fingers brushed across the cold surface, she realized it was actually a pond. Her fingertips sank into the water, sending ripples across it, rattling the reeds in the distance. Her knees were pressed against the grass, getting slightly soaked from the wet soil. And it was the image of the moon reflected back at her, not her face. The sad, lonely pale moon, its image shifting across the rippling water. She felt such a strange melancholy. The moon shouldn't be lonely. It should be beautiful and mysterious and glow with a silver hue. But the moon can't cry out for help even if it wanted it. It just has to hover above the earth it loves, providing a gentle light, looking on, moving the tides under its gentle power.

Before she could stop it, she tumbled head first into the dark pond water, feeling it fill her lungs as she sank dreamily down into its depths. It hurt a little, but she couldn't move. The water filled her, consumed everything about her. And all at once she remembered the existence of those strange moonlit flowers and yearned to see them. She didn't want to be trapped inside this mirror. Or this pond. She wanted to be there, in a storm of flower petals, comforted by someone, anyone.

No. Not just anyone. She wanted him.

She blinked, and he was there, petals circling around and between them. He batted a few away from his ever bright eyes and laughed.

"It really does look like it's snowing! But it's definitely not winter, right?"

She took one step out into the field, feeling the soft touch of the flowers against her ankles. No, it wasn't winter. But it might have well been winter for her whole life. So cold, so unable to feel the warmth of another person. She yearned to feel comforted like that, even just once. And he was right there, so close to her.

Almost as if he was wondering what was taking her so long, he called out to her, his voice so encouraging and hopeful that she felt all her fears fading to nothing.

"Kairi!"

He didn't have to call her twice. Her breath caught in her throat as she ran. She chased towards that beautiful moment, her hands outstretched towards the sky like how the faraway treetops yearned to meet the sun. And she crashed straight into his arms, knowing that at least in this moment, in this brief glorious moment she was sheltered in the silver light of the moon, the caress of the wind, and Kairi was no longer a princess.

She was just a regular village girl, and that was more than enough.

It was all she wanted.

Yet this mysterious world lit by the light of falling petals was only a dream. A dream she would look back upon fondly, even as it shifted from the sincerely beautiful to the downright bizarre, with the two of them dancing hand in hand through the swaying flowers to a musical score sung by miniature instrument-carrying moths. But he was there by her side through it all, never once pointing out the sheer unrealistic nature of that place. His fingers entwined around hers, never letting go.

She had never felt more safe.

And accompanied with his sunshine smile, he told her all sorts of things. So many stories that she would soon forget, slipping away from her like the seeds of a dandelion puff on a strong breeze. She could watch them float away, scattered into the abyss of memory, slipping through her fingers even if she wanted to catch them. Because like all dreams, it had to soon come to an end.

Just before it did, there was one sentence of his that remained in her mind. One breathless phrase he whispered to her, as he held her tightly amid the falling petals. She could almost feel the warmth of him, even through the illusion of it all. His breath, soft on her neck as he leaned towards her ear.

"Kairi, I'll never forget you. And even if you don't remember me, please don't forget who you are."

It was such an odd thing to say. Maybe that was why it stayed with her. Or maybe because, just after he said it, he brushed a hand affectionately through her hair, his other arm protectively up against the small of her back, pulling her closer. His touch was so warm, so comforting, yet she still shivered as his fingers lightly traced lines down her cheek.

She could never forget something like this. Nor would she ever forget that unbridled lightness that made her want to fling her whole body into him, clinging to his shoulders as he spun her in circles, both of them laughing into the non judgemental night.

And if she could be a little selfish, she wanted him to kiss her, too. She lifted up to her tip-toes, hoping he would see her raised chin and grant her wish.

Nothing else in the world mattered more.

Her heart pounding sharply in her chest, filling her with the most swelling, pure fear was nothing compared to his gentle unyielding kindness. He melted every inhibition away, and his nose brushed lightly against hers, filling her entire being with warmth. Every single fairy tale she had ever read, all the happily ever afters finally felt like they could soon be real.

Limbs trembling, a stuttered gasp, lips parted, only slightly. All that was left was to fall forward that small space between them and she would-

One of the little moths suddenly started playing a very sour note and Kairi turned her attention to it, confused at the ruckus. It sounded almost like an...alarm bell?

How odd! They only had alarms like that at the...castle.

Castle.

That's right...she lived at a castle.

And all at once she was standing alone, freezing cold in the night air, his arms no longer embracing her, his lips no longer mere centimeters from her own.

She heard him call her name again, eyes panicked as he tried to reach out to her through the ever increasing flurry of petals that looked so much like snow. A wall of snow that now was trying to separate them, pulling him even further away. She tried to grab his hand, but the sound of the alarm only grew louder, more painful in her ears, and she was forced to cover them.

"Kairi—n't forget who yo-"

No, no...that wasn't right. She already knew who she was, and who she wasn't. She knew that dreams were the realm of the impossible, where the wildest fantasies can get carried away. And that was where this had to remain.

She wasn't Kairi.

She dropped her arm limply to her side and watched him fade away into the white void.

Not anymore.

The white abyss cracked and shattered around her, leaving her with nothing but the sound of a horribly jarring dinging bell, and the sound of Sora desperately calling her name.

* * *

"Kairi! Please wake up!"

She gasped and flung herself up out of her dream and away from her pillow, back to her room in the castle, sitting up like she had been stung.

 _Wha—who…_

Her eyes swept the scene in front of her, unsure if she really had fully woken yet. Because she certainly wasn't expecting to see her door flung wide open, letting the night air blow through, or having one of her knights hovering at the edge of her bed. A certain knight, of whom she had just been having a _very_ inappropriate dream.

The sight of his eyes so close to hers made her heart flutter slightly. She swallowed. What was she thinking? What _had_ she been thinking. And...oh no.

Any and all previous confusion was replaced by the horrific realization that she was only wearing a rather thin linen night gown. She clutched her covers up to her chest and tried to quell the shriek rising up in her throat.

"S-Sora! What are you-" She snatched the nearest stuffed animal in her bed to use as a possible projectile against him. "Y-you'd better explain yourself this instant!"

"The alarm..."

She lowered the stuffed rabbit aimed at his head and listened.

He was right, she could hear it now. The castle alarm bell echoed through the halls even now, still being struck repetitively to signal something very, very wrong was happening. She had only ever heard that alarm once before. And that was a time she didn't want to dwell on right now.

Her eyes widened, and she remembered exactly what had been told to her at one of her lessons.

 _"_ _S_ _hould a knight ever come bursting into your room in the middle of the night_ _with the sound of the alarm,_ _it is pertinent for you to suppress any coy modesty about your state of undress and instead be prepared for an emergency, where you must conduct yourself calmly, regally, and lead with decisiveness if necessary."_

Her panic at him being in her room was dwarfed by the other feelings now sweeping over her. Swallowing all her pride, she immediately tossed the sheets off of herself and jumped out of bed. Quickly slipping on some sandals she readied herself for whatever actions she would need to take. However, thinking better of it, she also reached over and threw a silk robe on to help cover up a little. She didn't care how much of an emergency it was, she wasn't going to parade around half naked in front of everyone at the castle.

Especially not in front of Sora.

Thankfully, he didn't even seem bothered by her lack of proper clothing and was instead glancing nervously out her door into the hallway, as if expecting someone or something. She had only ever seen his face looking this serious after one of her terror episodes. It was the same look of concern that she thought endearing, but at the same time seemingly oddly misplaced on someone like him. She wished he could always keep smiling, because his happiness was so contagious. He could even make someone as serious as Riku smile, it was that powerful. This last thought, however, made her realize something other than Sora's expression was currently misplaced.

Kairielis glanced around the room, just to check.

"...Where's Riku?"

She saw Sora fidgeting, keeping one hand on his sword and she tried her hardest to keep calm.

 _Riku's strong. Riku can fight. He's okay._

"I'm...not sure. I know he should be on his way, but..."

"You weren't together?"

"I had an extra night shift. The alarm started ringing while I was out, so I came straight here."

What was going _on_? Surely it couldn't be the darkness. She did Refraction every day! It couldn't be…

"Sora...is it..."

He turned away from the hall and focused on her, seeming to understand what she meant without her having to say it. And all at once the concern evaporated from his face and he gave her a reassuringly bright smile.

"It'll be alright, don't worry!"

She wanted to be convinced, she really did, but…

Sora took a step towards her, reached out for her hand and paused. She knew he couldn't, but at least knowing that he wanted to give her that comfort was some comfort in itself.

All he could offer was his unbroken smile.

"We'll stay together through this, okay? No matter what it is that's out there, I'll keep you safe."

Kairielis took a deep breath and tried to stay focused.

He was right; no matter what was out there she knew that she wasn't alone.

* * *

 _Gazing from its perch,_

 _The crow offers a warning._

 _Ah! What sorrow comes._


	7. Ch 7: Nevermore

It had been many years since the secret passageway hidden behind the painting on her bedroom wall had been put to use. Unless spiders counted. They had been using the place quite well, for it had been many years since the secret passageway had gotten a good dusting or sweep, either. Only Kairielis really had access to it, and the idea of the dark corridors had frightened her so much when she was younger that she preferred to forget it was even there.

Pushing open the exit, she stumbled down into yet another dim hallway. At least this one was slightly wider than the last. Feeling a bit guilty for ruining the hard work of possible generations of eight-legged little critters, Kairielis tried not to complain much about the dusty strings now coating her arms and hair. She did a quick inspection just to make sure she had brushed herself clean then checked after Sora once he emerged behind her.

While she had gone through first, he had certainly gotten the worse deal. His hair had decided to fully embrace its new role as a long overdo broom. Despite the emergency circumstances, she bit her lower lip and fought against the giggle that threatened to bubble up out of her. Sora noticed her desperate attempts not to say anything and he glanced down.

One of the cobwebs drooped off of his hair and bopped him in the nose.

"Ah!" He recoiled, swatting, but smiled once he realized what was actually assaulting him. As best he could, he began trying to clear the remaining webs off.

"Where next? Hopefully somewhere less...spidery?"

"Hopefully." She pointed out one stray bit he had missed in his initial inspection draped off his shoulder like a stringy cape, then examined the hallway around them to get her bearings. That passage _should_ have led them to…

It was called the Path of Reflection for good reason. Mirrors lined the walls down the entire hall, stretching from floor to ceiling. At the end was yet another hidden door leading to an inner sanctum, a perfect hiding place at the near center of the castle. The place she was meant to go if intruders had been spotted inside the walls. She felt herself trembling at the thought, but perhaps more at the unknown fear of it. After all, neither her nor Sora knew how many intruders there were now, how dangerous they were, or...if they were even human. All they knew was that the alarm bell had been ringing to signal that something was not as it should be. And while the ringing had now petered out into silence, it was all the more unnerving, because the all clear bell had yet to sound out. She hoped both her father and Namine were able to make it to their respective safe rooms as well. That, or she hoped the danger had already passed. Then she could just treat this whole episode like a bad dream.

The pit of worry in her stomach grew, when she briefly thought about the fact that Riku still had not caught up to them. Sora said he left some sort of...message in her room that only his friend would understand, to lead him to the hidden passage entrance, but she still wasn't sure how easy they would be to follow.

Using her quill he had marked a series of lines and dots on a spare paper. She tried to piece together what it had said over his shoulder as he wrote, but it all looked like chicken scratch. If it was a code, it was going to be hard to crack. Anyone not privy to its secrets might just assume she had a poor quality quill unable to hold ink. But she hoped Riku had accumulated experience decoding Sora style smoke signals. Or more likely, he had been the one to design the code in the first place and had painstakingly taught it to his friend over the years in the off chance it might come in handy.

That was probably it.

In which case...maybe there was nothing to worry about?

She hoped at the very least Riku would see the peculiar crown shaped necklace Sora had left hanging near the hidden door lever. Surely with all those clues he would get here soon?

Unless there was something else keeping him. Or if he was...

 _Keep it together…_

She had to stay focused. Again, she checked both ways, making sure she wasn't going to lead them down to the wrong end. Once she was decided, she started off down the hall, but noticed that Sora was lagging behind her.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

He was fixated up at something high up on the wall back at the opposite end of the corridor, his face torn between confusion and concern.

"It's just...maybe it's nothing, but..."

And then she saw it.

A jet black raven, perched on the upper edge of one of the far mirrors, glaring down at them with a silent judging expression. That _was_ an impressive bird. And not only that, but there was something distinctly ominous hiding behind its calculating eyes. Kairielis took a nervous step back from it, feeling grateful that it was sitting at the opposite end of the hall than the direction she was headed down.

Sora glanced about the passageway quickly, not wanting to take his eyes off the raven for too long.

"How did a bird get in here?"

It was a really good question; one that she wished she knew the answer to. There weren't any windows, or any open doors for that matter. The entire hall was sealed off, only accessible via secret passage. Unless the raven came out the last door with them, it either had to have been living here for some time on its own, or there was some other way in that they couldn't see.

The raven cocked its head and clacked its beak a few times, either taunting her or laughing at the fact that she found it so intimidating.

The hallway was very dark, leaving most of the mirrors filled with haunting black shadows. The only source of light were a few crystals hanging at odd intervals from the ceiling. It did very little to brighten the path, mostly just preventing one from tripping on the carpet. The entire passage had an eerie mystique to it. It didn't help that the mirrors reflected her image, constantly catching in the corner of her eye and making her feel like someone else was there, staring.

This raven certainly didn't help ease any of those feelings.

She felt her skin prickling all over and shivered.

"Sora, let's go. Please."

He nodded, albeit hesitantly, finally willing himself to turn away from the mysterious creature and walk with her.

As they followed the path past the multitudes of mirrors, Kairielis couldn't help but cast a side glance at her reflection, hoping to spot any remaining dust bunnies hitching a ride on her robe. She didn't see any wayward travelers, but she did notice how horribly unkempt she looked. Her hair was ruffled and snarled, a smudge of gray dirt marked her right cheek and both knees. Not to mention her outfit was incredibly inappropriate. She tugged on her nightdress, hoping it would somehow magically lengthen her skirt. Even though she knew it wouldn't help, she brushed her fingers through her hair and tried to wipe at her cheek futilely with the edge of her sleeve.

"It's okay, you look great."

She froze, her fingers half entwined around a snarl, her reflection making her blushing all the more obvious. Well, there went being thankful Sora hadn't made a single comment about her appearance.

"E-excuse me?" She clutched her robe a little tighter around herself, extra aware again at how short her skirt was. "That's not exactly something you...you shouldn't..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He was looking a bit pink on the cheeks himself, and he suddenly seemed to find the back of his head very itchy. "I know you are worried about a lot of things right now so I just wanted to help take something off that list. I don't mind the dust or that you haven't had time to brush your hair."

Maybe it was just lingering thoughts from that dream she had, but he was being particularly charming right now and she struggled to keep her composure. "You don't think it looks...unbecoming?"

He laughed a little, a sound she hadn't realized how much she had been missing. "Of course not! You look like you and that's all you need to be. I don't want you to feel like you have to tidy yourself up for my sake.

She gulped. He needed to stop saying those sorts of things. He needed to stop smiling at her with those eyes...

"Uh...unless it makes you feel better to do it. Then in that case, uh...just let me know if you need anything! Then again, I don't really have much on me...so..."

Well, at least he hadn't mastered smooth-talking completely.

Clearing her throat, she tried to put on a more regal and authoritative air, but such things were difficult to do in ones pajamas. "Y-yes, well...that aside, I'm _not_ properly dressed, so I formally request you not to look at me more than necessary, please!"

She saw him nod vigorously, and avert his gaze from her face. However, with all the mirrors around the two of them, he could still see her reflection and panicked a little, not sure where to stare for a moment before finally settling on his shoes.

Even at a time like this he still somehow made her smile.

A loud caw echoing from down the hall snapped their attention back to the raven, who had decided it was far more interested in following than staying put, glowering at them from a distance. It sailed gracefully overhead, and fluttered down at the end of the hallway just eight or so mirror lengths away…

Right onto the shoulder of a woman who most definitely had not been standing there before. The woman stepped forward slightly out of the shadows, her face only dimly illuminated from the faint crystal glow.

Kairielis had barely started to register her shock when she saw Sora dart in front of her, his sword already drawn. He was staring down this mysterious woman who...in the simplest of terms, was bad news. Kairielis knew this, despite not recognizing her face at all, and despite how elegant the lady looked in her flowing gown the color of amaranth, deep mauve and ebony. The woman's skin was immaculately covered with cosmetic paints, with extra care taken on her eyes. The color was weighing her lids down and giving them a poisonous allure. So alluring, it was hard to look away. No wonder the raven on her shoulder, who Kairielis assumed was her pet, was so adept at its own glares. He had quite an intimidating role model to learn from.

If Sora was intimidated, he wasn't showing it.

"Who are you!?"

The woman at the end of the hall took one step forward and Sora copied her, signaling back to Kairielis not to follow. It was clear he wanted to put as much distance between her and that woman as possible.

"I could ask the same question but I don't see much value in it, boy."

Her voice was sultry, smooth, and carried a deep venom to it. Kairielis saw Sora's hand tightening on the hilt of his weapon and she tried to make herself as invisible as possible against the wall. No such luck, with all these mirrors. Her anxious face was just reflected down the hall ad infinitum.

Sora took another step towards the woman, which she copied back at him in turn, like she was a mirror herself. She said nothing more, so Sora shouted towards her again.

"What are you doing here!?"

"I _could_ tell you. But I won't, even though you asked _so_ nicely."

A crooked smile, and she made another move forward, continuing the slow confrontational dance with the knight staring her down. Kairielis noticed that clenched in her hand was a long staff with a glowing yellow stone atop, like a small sun. And just like a sun, it felt like it was pulsating with its own energy.

Meanwhile, Sora was bristling.

"Are you the intruder everyone is looking for?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Another step. Another answer.

"What's that staff for? Are you a witch or something?"

"Such a foolish, unnecessary question."

They slowly drew towards each other, when the woman finally stopped and sighed, flicking an errant speck of something off her sleeve.

"You and I know this back and forth tittering isn't going to achieve a thing. Why don't you just be a good knight and come throw yourself headlong in my direction like all the others."

For the first time, Kairielis sensed some hesitation in her knight's voice.

"The...others?"

"Oh, it was no fun at all. I'm warning you now, I don't enjoy things that are pointless wastes of time. It tends to bring out my bad side..."

"My friends..." His voice trembled slightly, but he quickly collected himself, sinking into an aggressive attack stance. Raising his sword, he gestured it towards the threatening figure. "What did you do!? If you hurt them, I'll never forgive you!"

She had never heard him so angry. It made sense that even someone like him could, when something so precious to him was being mocked so carelessly. Kairielis also knew at least one who was likely lingering on his mind. And she knew there were many others who she had never met that were now weighing down his heart with concern. More than anything she wished for this figure to be nothing more than a panic-induced illusion. But her fear was growing. If this one woman, by herself, had truly been able to cut down so many knights on her way here, what hope did Sora have of standing up to her? And if she had already found Riku...then...

Not only that, but the woman was already trying to goad him to fight. To no doubt get him out of the way, confident she could do so. And the confidence was the scariest part.

"Why don't you go ask them yourself? I'm sure a few can still talk, or groan at least." She glanced down in idle boredom at her long pointed nails, coated in a thick lacquer of color, the same color as blood.

Sora was trembling, but Kairielis was sure it wasn't from fear. The woman didn't seem to even pay him any attention, instead just checked her own reflection in the mirror, priming herself, straightening the horned headdress she had nestled on her head.

"Though I will admit it was quite fun watching them struggle, at least. I might have overdone it a bit." Her twisted smile was so, so cruel.

Kairielis knew that she needed to alert the rest of the castle that this woman was here. But how could she do that? The passage back to her room was too far down the hall, and she wasn't even entirely sure which mirror it was hidden behind now. It would take far too long for her to find the secret symbol in the wood paneling. And that would mean leaving Sora alone here with that woman...

"There was one feisty upstart in particular I remember. He kept doggedly chasing after me, screaming something about destiny and some girl he expected to keep an eye on him from beyond the grave."

Sora froze. "...Seifer?"

"I don't bother learning the names of insignificant insects. Hopefully that ghostly sister of his didn't mind watching him thoroughly embarrassing himself. Maybe he'll join her soon."

"You-!"

Rashly, Sora tumbled head first into her trap. He charged across the remaining distance between him and that witch of a woman, whose malevolent grin only spread further across her face.

"There it is! Just like your foolish friends..."

Kairielis gasped, but knew there was not much she could do to stop him. "Don't-!"

The princess knew it was a trap. She knew he was running headlong into danger. But her call had come far too late, and he was focused only on the evil woman with the pet raven, so he didn't even hear her plea. Sora was only a few strides away from his target when the raven suddenly dived at him from off her shoulder. It flapped its wings right in his face, blocking his view of the woman entirely, cawing and pawing the air with its talons. Not expecting the bird to attack, he barely ducked out of the way and raised his sword, but seemed hesitant to cut the creature even as it blocked his path. However, that was when the raven did something even more unexpected.

It's entire body began to twist and pull itself like a line of taffy. Morphing, growing, pulsing outwards in a grotesque burst of dark light, it's wings stretching into two giant clawed hands, turning into nothing but a pulsating mass of feathers and twisting tendrils. It no longer looked like a bird, but instead some horrific nightmare creature made of dark sap.

It charged him with a swoop, claws outstretched. It was shockingly fast, and Sora only had time to clumsily stagger to the side to avoid it. The former raven knocked into his shoulder slightly as it passed, tipping him off balance. He tried to take a step or two to adjust, but the monster gave him no quarter at all, rushing back in his direction in a frenzy. Kairielis could barely see what was happening under the dark swirl of the beasts' form as it lunged and encircled him. But the fact that it kept trying to reach him gave her hope that he was holding out alright.

She saw him roll out from under the onslaught and charged over towards the woman coldly watching him with disdain from the end of the hall. He swung his sword at her, but the raven jumped in front of his strike, blocking it with its own body.

A body that seemed to be made of nothing but thick lard, as his blade sank into the center of its core like it was being pulled into an inky black mire. Sora gaped in horror at its intended sacrifice, but the raven didn't seem particularly phased by the weapon stabbing into its own breast. He moved to withdraw his sword, but nothing happened. She saw him yanking on it, trying to pull it back out over and over again, but it must have been stuck firmly inside the core of the creature.

The woman in the elegant gown chuckled while he wrenched at the trapped sword like he was some amusing plaything to her, which only made Kairielis even more angry. Who _was_ she, anyway? And was she really a witch, like the ones from her storybooks? She certainly had the same cruelty and haughtiness that was to be expected, despite her face being far less warty and her nose far less pointed than all the pictures always depicted.

"He's called a familiar. I made him with but the tiniest touch of my own shadow. An impressive feat, especially knowing that he is unable to be harmed by a mere sword. His body is as dense as tar, and he feels nothing. So by all means, wear yourself out."

Finally freeing his weapon, Sora completely ignored her taunts and tried to strike a second time. The familiar, as she had called it, once more intercepted him despite his best attempts to dodge around it. And he was again left tugging at his trapped blade, looking increasingly more frustrated.

The witch, Kairielis was sure of that now, rather than wait for him to regain control of his sword again, lifted her staff and struck him with it. Sora tumbled backwards across the carpet, as if knocked back by a blow far more powerful than the small metal pole should have produced. It must have been enchanted as well.

To her immense relief, he leapt back up to his feet, but was now without a weapon.

"So, what would you do, brave knight? Knowing how hopeless your situation-"

He didn't even pause before running straight at her again. The raven almost proudly displayed its sword-stuck breast towards his charge, waiting for his third attempt to withdraw it. Sora reached his hand for the hilt, but at the last minute rolled right underneath the bird, kicking at the golden staff that had just struck him. Taken by surprise, the woman screeched, the staff clattering to the floor out of her pale fingers. And in her momentary distraction in retrieving it back up from the ground, whatever spell was commanding the raven faltered, and its form temporarily shifted back to a regular bird.

Sora's sword tumbled freely to the ground, released in the confusion. He grappled for it, swinging towards the villain in front of him in one swift motion.

The woman barely managed to stumble back from his attack. She hissed as the blade sliced a thin line through her gown, shaking with rage as she viewed the damage.

" _That_ was expensive imported silk, I'll have you know."

There was a crack like thunder as her staff glowed, shooting an electric pulse that struck Sora hard in the chest, sending him thumping unceremoniously across the hard tiles.

He groaned but staggered up to his feet, still looking just as obstinate as ever. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he once more charged without a second thought. Kairielis felt like she was barely breathing, watching him in trepidation. And as terrified as Kairielis was, she couldn't help but also feel a little proud of his tenacious spirit.

Now back in control of her magic staff, the witch was again able to sic her transformed guardian after him. It also looked like the previous sick joy she had been getting from toying with him was now starting to shift into a more peeved growl.

As he dashed at the raven this time, it burst into an explosion of swirling dark tendrils, flying at him from all directions. He slashed through a few, but his blade passed silently through the rest like they were nothing more than smoke. Yet they most definitely did have form.

The smokey blackness dodged around his weapon, twisted around each of his limbs and yanked his arms down to his sides, gripping him tightly around the middle and leaving him completely defenseless. They shook him back and forth roughly then slowly lifted his struggling form up into the air where he could only kick out into the empty air, and roar in frustration.

His sword clattered to the cold stone floor, useless.

"No!"

Her words dropped to the floor as well. Unheard, as the monstrous creature that had once resembled a raven continued to assault its prey, smacking him against one of the mirrors. It shattered instantly, shards of glass raining down across the floor, among a few scattered specks of blood. The remaining bits of mirror beneath Sora's body crunched as the clawed shadow pressed him harder into the wall, one finger wrapping itself around his throat. With his arms trapped at his sides, there was nothing he could do to stop it from choking the air out of his throat.

Whipping him to the other side of the hall, it smashed him into a second mirror. More glass. More blood.

She couldn't watch much more of this.

"Stop it, please! Don't hurt him any more!"

This time her words were not completely ignored. The raven didn't care at all, and just kept tossing Sora around in amusement, bashing him against the walls, breaking more mirrors in the process. She heard him yelp lightly in pain, and Kairielis couldn't help but gaze on in horror at the reality being fragmented across the once pristine glass surface, recalling those bitter words that breaking a mirror would cost a price.

She prayed Sora would not have to pay too dearly.

The woman in the elegant dress, however, was now looking straight at her, not caring about the glass now coating the carpet like black shimmering snow.

"My apologies, princess. It _is_ princess, isn't it?"

With one hand she gave a tidy snap, and the raven immediately halted its attack, but kept Sora clenched tightly. He sagged, painfully struggling to breathe. Kairielis rushed towards him, not even knowing what she was planning on doing when she got there. Even with the dark being crushing him on all sides, he didn't cry out; only focused his bright eyes on her with such intensity that she froze in place. She could see him pant for air, and he tried shifting under the grip of the creature to loosen its hold over him.

"K-Kairi..." What little he could gasp out sounded so desperate and pleading that she couldn't stand it. "Stay back. P-please."

The horrid witch at the end of the hall had such an elegantly deep laugh. She really must be heartless if she could find amusement at something like this.

It felt like the dead of winter in that hall. Kairielis could not only feel, but see her entire body trembling, like she was on some sick display. A familiar nausea began rising in her throat. The sight of the blood, the glass, the laughter, the dark tendrils spinning around the room...

It was all too familiar.

Her legs wobbled, and her vision of the hallway began to sway. She swooned sideways into a mirror, leaving light blurry streaks under her dragging fingertips.

"I...I can't just...leave you...Sora."

"Please!"

Kairielis knew that logically, Sora was right. He was meant to be her shield, no matter what horrid monsters stood in his way. And she was meant to stand back, to stay safe. To watch. But even then...

She sagged against the mirror, shaking in fury. She was useless. A useless princess who could only stand by as someone precious to her was…

A precious someone trapped just out of reach.

The sound of hungry rats, scurrying along the corridors.

Wheezing laughter, like a sick pig.

All alone. Left alone. She abandoned him. Behind a metal grate.

"Don't go!" Her voice sobbed out against her will, echoing down the darkened hall.

She was trapped in the swirling memories that were trying to force her into submission. Even through the haze of sensory onslaught, she could hear Sora calling out to her. Calling her Kairi over and over. And in that moment she didn't care one bit that it was improper for him to do so.

She shook the horrid images from her head and bit down on her own cheek to shock herself back to reality. The pain worked, slightly, but left her still dizzy and sick, sweat dampening her forehead. When her eyes refocused, she saw him, still gazing at her sincerely through the dim shadows. Almost as if curious about what he wanted to say, the raven slightly loosened its grip on his chest.

He spoke slowly, taking deep breaths.

"We are...staying together...remember? I won't let her...hurt you...no matter what...Kairi..."

And she did the only thing she could do. She nodded, and complied.

The pain in her cheek hurt, but the pain in her heart raged all the more as she forced her legs to back away from him, one step at a time, unable to tear her eyes away, desperately trying to choke down the bile rising in her throat. She couldn't have another terror episode and faint here. Not now. Not when he was doing all this for her.

"... _Kairi_ , is it?" The woman was mocking them now.

"Not to you!" The princess tersely spit out, feeling angrier than she could ever remember, yet continuing to back away.

"...And yet a lowly knight is able to address you so?" The woman sneered over at Sora who had now fallen silent, glaring at the intruder with eyes filled of pure defiance. "I thought you weren't meant to play favorites? If I didn't know any better, I might think you two were lovers the way you carry on."

Kairielis wanted to fervently deny such a thing, but she just couldn't bear herself to say that he meant nothing to her. The words sat like dry bread in her throat, soaking up any remaining moisture; a heavy lump that wouldn't leave no matter how hard she swallowed. He might be a knight but he was far from lowly. He was so, so much more than that.

And that was something she could never say aloud.

Still hanging in the hand of the enemy, Sora's eyes never lost their focus on his target. And he also said nothing.

"Neither of you are speaking now? Both giving me the cold shoulder? I understand. Forbidden romance is always the sweetest, isn't it?"

The witch laughed again and snapped, allowing the raven to hurl Sora against the floor heavily and scoop him back up before he even had a chance to wince or even grunt from the blow.

"Stop it!" Kairielis began to desperately look around her for something, anything, to use to help him. But it was nothing but mirrors, reflections and more mirrors, mocking her impotence.

"What do you even want from me!?"

"Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted, your Highness, just as soon as I squish this little bug." She leered into Sora's face again, this time tuning out Kairielis screaming once more for her to stop.

"I won't. Unless he has decided to give up for now and stay down?"

Sora didn't pause as he tried to kick out at her staff again the moment she drew it close enough. This time, the witch was expecting him to do something of the sort and moved it swiftly from his reach, clicking her tongue.

"What a sweet little noble thing you are. Unfortunately the call of nobility tends to allure the most foolish kinds. How unfortunate for you to have been dealt this hand by fate."

She reached over with her free hand to where he was captured, cupping her long bony fingers around his chin. He grunted and tried to pull himself away from her, but was held fast. Her nails scratched threateningly along his cheek, hard enough for him to flinch from the touch, but not enough to leave a mark.

"Oh...?" A thin smile spread across her pale skin. "But of course! Why did I not see it before?" She leaned back a bit, giving him a second look over. "You _do_ seem to be the correct age as well...what an amusing hand indeed!"

She laughed again, sickeningly, at some joke that only she understood. Her fingers finally releasing Sora's face only to slap it so heavily that his whole body twisted. His pained whimper died in his throat, as he struggled to maintain his stoically brave front.

"Aw, did that hurt? You are a cockroach. So you deserve to be swatted like one."

The dark clawed tendrils of the raven familiar squeezed him harder, wrapping one long feathered hook around his neck, forcing out another gasp as it started to restrict again. His face was starting to look pale.

Sora turned to the only option left to him and, grimacing, bit down on the black mass wrapped around him. The witch burst into the most sultry of cackles imaginable and snapped, urging her demon to release him to the floor again. He slumped like a heavy sack of flour tipping to its side, staggering for his sword, gasping and coughing.

"Go on, then. Show me what you think you can even do."

"S-Sora, please don't..."

Kairielis already knew how it would end. How was he supposed to beat something like that raven? Something he couldn't even damage? It truly was a death trap. She wanted him to run, wanted him to flee to save his own life. There was no way he could win against that. And yet she knew. She knew there was no way he would abandon her even if she ordered it.

Because Sora really did run at his problems head on, just like she had been told. Rashly. Stubbornly. With an unyielding determination. With every strike that witch cast down on him, he kept getting back up again. It seemed that he had long since stopped caring that his sword couldn't cut her bird and instead decided to keep slashing as fast as possible in the hopes that he would eventually break through to the woman controlling it. But even when he knocked the demon aside with his shoulder and jumped at her, she would just banish him back again with some kind of magic beam from her staff.

Kairielis had lost count of the times he had been hurled against the floor, or had been forced to chase his sword after she disarmed him.

It was horrid. Torturous and horrid.

All she could do was watch behind her tears, nursing the pain in her cheek.

The dark mass of the former raven struck Sora hard in the gut and he collapsed to the floor heavily, his sword once more spinning away from him, ringing out sadly against the tiles. His arms shook as he fought to lift himself back up, and he collapsed with a faint groan.

And this time he stayed down.

Some part inside of her was almost glad he did because it meant he wouldn't get hurt any longer. She just wanted his pain to stop.

The witch, however, seemed to be having a wonderful time with it, her face curled in delight.

"Is that all? You're pathetically incompetent! Not even good enough to wipe my heels on."

Just to demonstrate this point, the woman hoisted up the hem of her dress to reveal two very sleek high heeled shoes adorned with emeralds. The heels were sharpened like dagger points. Raising her right foot, she kicked him onto his back and stepped over and right on top of him, her heel biting into his skin just under his shoulder blade. He inhaled sharply, unable to mask the pain.

Kairielis recoiled in horror. "I said, don't hurt him!"

She felt her back bump against a mirror. Even though Sora had prevented the woman from drawing closer, it felt like the entire hallway had shrunk around her. And it was growing even smaller still.

"Oh, don't fret over him. You should be more concerned about your own fate, my dear."

The hatred in that woman's eyes spoke volumes, and Kairielis tried not to betray the terror she could see reflected within her own.

"I don't f-fear you! Why should I!? You act as though you are so important but I certainly don't know who you are!"

She wasn't quite sure if she succeeded. But at least the witch wasn't torturing Sora any further, despite that sharp heel still being pressed onto his chest.

"Oh my, oh my, I'll try not to be insulted. I suppose it can't be helped. I'll repeat it this once, just so my name finally etches itself into that broken memory of yours."

She grabbed the hem of her torn dress and gave a mocking curtsy as best she was able with her heel still perched on Sora's body, her piercing eyes never parting from Kairielis' face.

"Maleficent. It's been a long time, your Highness."

 _A long time…?_

The woman sneered and moved forward, then suddenly froze with an irritated grimace. Whipping back around, she scowled down at the ground. More specifically, at her ankle, which Sora was now clutching desperately to his chest. His grip effectively preventing her from taking a step.

"Let go, boy."

He glared back at her.

She pressed the pointed heel harder into him and he squirmed in pain, but refused to release her.

"Are you really that stupid? Let go. Now."

"No!"

Kairielis felt her heart drop. Why was he still fighting? Even after all this…? His face was smudged, his body bruised and bleeding in several places but his will remained untarnished in the slightest.

"Why so rebellious? I could stab right through you with a heel this sharp. Do you honestly think you can do anything in that position?"

The witch waited for an answer, but Sora just gritted his teeth and continued glowering back. She didn't seem particularly pleased at this.

"You are completely at my mercy so you should try to act more deserving of it. I _was_ going to let you live. Now I'm not so sure."

She once more tried to step forward down the hall, but Sora clung to her ankle even harder, his breath coming out more and more pained.

"You won't...take...a step...closer..."

Maleficent hissed through her teeth, realizing her leg was now fully trapped under his unflinching grip, and he was too heavy for her to drag along with her.

"You are starting to really try my patience, boy. I'd think carefully about my next action if I were you."

The witch shifted her weight and clubbed him in the elbow with the end of her staff. He winced, but refused to let go. Even when she sent a zap of electricity to strike him, tried to singe him with green flame, set her raven down to try and yank him off, he still held on tight.

Shaking with rage now, she resorted to kicking at him with her one free foot, each blow dragging the tiniest yelps out of him as he fought to swallow back the rest.

"You really are a pathetic fool! What's your plan, annoy me to death!? Do you _really_ think you can win this way? Maybe you just _like_ being beaten silly!"

Sora coughed, shaking his head into the carpet and mumbled something that Kairielis couldn't hear.

"What was that, you insect? Are you going to beg now?"

"I said..." He coughed again, his breath rattling in his chest. "You've already lost. You just don't know it yet."

"Oh?" The witch seemed to be oscillating between feeling indignant and intrigued.

"Don't believe me? Just wait and see."

Maleficent narrowed her eyes at him and stopped wrenching her leg. "And what, pray tell, are we waiting for?"

Kairielis had no idea how, but in an instant there was a blindingly sharp flash of light bouncing down the entire corridor, reflecting from mirror to mirror, lighting up all the fragments that had been scattered across the carpet. Just like someone had just opened a door to let in the rising sun. Not that this was possible, for it should still be the dead of night. Sora hadn't delayed Maleficent _that_ long.

She slammed her eyes shut, unable to withstand the piercing brightness suddenly illuminating them all. In the brief darkness as she hid behind her eyelids she heard the rush of footsteps, a sword clashing against metal, and a brief wailing cry of disbelief.

When she braved it enough to flutter open her eyes, she saw in the fresh light the witch huddled at the far end of the hall, clutching her arm with fiery anger in her eyes. And standing protectively over Sora's limp body was someone they truly had been waiting for.

Thank goodness.

And it was really like he had brought the dawn with him. She felt another wave of hot tears pouring out over her cheeks, but this time it was out of welcome relief.

Riku had his sword held aloft towards his enemy with one hand, with a glowing crystal in his other that was the source of the bright light dancing across the room against the reflective glass all around.

"Let me know if you want more, witch."

Sora moaned into the carpet. It was hard to understand, but sounded a lot like a very sarcastic, "You're a little late."

Not taking his eyes off the enemy, Riku bent down to hand his friend what looked like the crown pendant on a chain he had left in the room earlier. "Yeah, well your directions were a little pathetic. _And_ your spelling in the note was atrocious."

Sora moaned again, his face still buried in the rug. "At least I remembered the code enough to write _something_."

Dropping the sarcasm from his voice entirely, Riku allowed himself to properly check on his friend, very gently resting a hand on his injured shoulder. "Sora...can you stand up at all?"

He waited to at least get a confirming nod, lending him an arm for support before he flipped the sarcasm back on.

"Need to sit this one out?"

"As if..." Sora, with Riku's help, managed to stagger back up to his feet and retrieve his weapon for the umpteenth time. He was still panting, out of breath like he had just run a great distance, but was finally able to speak more freely now that there wasn't something pressing down on his chest and lungs.

"Oh, and before I forget! You _completely_ ruined the set up I had going for you. I mean, what you said was cool and all, but you didn't say the right line."

Kairielis expected Riku to look frustrated, but instead he seemed more relieved than anything. "What did you want me to say?"

"She asked me what I was waiting for. You were _supposed_ to jump in saying 'Me!' I can't believe you wasted it, that would've been the perfect timing..."

Sora was definitely feeling better.

"Uh-huh. Fine. Want me to leave so we can try it again?"

Sora rubbed his sore shoulder, wincing. "It wouldn't be the same..." She saw him temporarily glance back at her, almost as if he was just making sure she was still truly in one piece. "But I'm really glad you're here. I knew I could count on you."

"You always do." Riku half-turned and gave Kairielis his own brief acknowledging nod. "Everything alright over there?"

"Y-yes. I'm as alright as I can be, thanks to you both."

The corner of Riku's mouth lifted into the tiniest smile, despite the rest of him remaining quite stoic. "Thanks to Sora, mostly."

A burning green light surrounded Maleficent's arm, and her wound vanished like smoke. Her eyes were glowing with a similar emerald colored fire as she grimly stared towards the three of them, right at Riku in particular, obviously not amused by the show of brotherhood and camaraderie between the two.

"How long as it been, since someone dared strike me? I reluctantly commend you on your skill. Riku Morizaki, isn't it? I definitely remember you."

"Can't say I can return the sentiment."

The witch gave an unsatisfied humph, and lifted her staff, summoning her raven to her side. It perched on her shoulder and clacked its beak, looking warily at the light beams shooting from the crystal in the distant knight's hand. Riku seemed almost bored.

"Go on, try it. I dispelled it once, I can do it again."

Sora eyed his friend slightly in confusion. "How did you...?"

For his sake, Riku offered an explanation. "That bird's made of shadow, so any light shined on it will immediately dissipate its form." Addressing Maleficent now, Riku tightened his grip on his sword. "We also finished off all those goons you swarmed the courtyard with. You've got nothing left. Care to come quietly or are we still doing this the hard way?"

Maleficent sighed, twirling a long finger idly across the top of her staff. "I can see you're just as promising as I expected you to be. A shame, really. You so elegantly found my one weakness. I waited very purposefully for a new moon so even its light would not impede me."

"Your waiting was in vain. There is always light here, and always will be. We'll make sure of it."

Riku spoke with such iron clad conviction it was inspiring, and his friend cheerily bobbed his head in agreement. Sora certainly was worn down, but the appearance of his friend had almost refreshed the bright aura surrounding him.

Rather than look upset, Maleficent shrugged her shoulders. "And I suppose the rest of the cavalry is on their way here right now?"

Riku continued to give away nothing with his stoic expression, so Maleficent instead lifted her heavily painted lashes towards the princess.

"Indulge me for a moment, then, oh source of the light. Tell me why you do that flashy glowing nonsense every day."

"It isn't nonsense! It keeps our home safe!" Sora interjected, looking ready to charge at her again.

"My, my, what was that? A little cricket is chirping. What an annoyance. A mere bug."

"And yet he managed to thwart you." Riku retorted sharply. "Maybe you shouldn't dismiss him so easily. He's stronger than you give him credit for."

Sora beamed at the compliment.

Maleficent, however, looked sourly at the two knights and for once, said nothing.

With both of her knights so close, Kairielis also felt courage surging through her, and she stood up proudly in the hall, pajamas and all.

"We will never let the darkness steal our light away. No matter how hard you try it will never fall. Because even though you call him an insignificant bug, people like him are willing to fight with their whole heart. Even with an army of thousands you could never hope to destroy the blessing our ancestors gave-"

"The ancestors who banished all the darkness away from your precious little kingdom and made everything sparkles and rainbows? You still believe that faerie tale of a lie?"

"It's not a lie! My grandmother-"

"Your grandmother, I would say, is not the best source of information regarding events that occurred generations before her lifetime!" Maleficent seemed far more upset at Kairielis' words than she had any right to be, considering all the trouble she had caused everyone at the castle tonight. Perhaps the witch was just bitter that she was cornered.

Kairielis crossed her arms, trying not to let her frustrations overwhelm her. "Are you suggesting that you know better?"

"It's much more than a suggestion, my dear. But for clarity's sake: Yes. I do." Her voice was low, threatening, like a cornered animal.

Any fear the princess had was slowly being erased by a growing confidence. This witch was nothing compared to the two friends standing her down in the hallway, side by side. Nothing compared to the strength of the thousands who wanted to protect their home. A strength that Kairielis could feel coursing through her.

"Sorry if I continue to believe my grandmother over some witch who-"

" _Sorceress_. If you please."

"I don't please."

Maleficent had definitely noticed the sudden shift in the princess' voice. No longer did it tremble with fear, but rang out with firm clarity.

"You are every bit like your mother. Has anyone ever told you that? Or are they too busy slandering her to mention it?" Her voice was a coy coo, like she was trying to seduce out the fear in her heart again.

Kairielis didn't grace this with a response; only stood her ground, regarding the witch with an even stare. It was just like dealing with all those wild predators disguised as dukes and duchesses. If you show any sliver of fear, they pounce on weakness to exploit it. It wasn't a coincidence that Maleficent had mentioned her mother. She was trying to bait her. But Kairielis was definitely not a simple fish to catch.

From beyond a hidden door, Kairielis could hear the sound of rapidly approaching feet and clanking armor. Maleficent must have heard it as well.

Her time was up.

"Since you are being stubborn and refusing to ask, I'll be kind and simply tell you. I fear my time has come."

Clearing her throat, Maleficent spread her arms wide, glowing as she began to be slowly consumed by an ever growing emerald fire.

"Listen closely, princess, because this will be your final warning. A premonition, if you will, of your rapidly approaching end. The darkness is coming. A darkness far more cruel than I. A darkness coming to reclaim what was stolen. Because you are nothing more than a thief, descended from thieves, and the day will soon come for you to repent for your ancestors' crimes."

The flames flickered brighter, and the shape of the witch was almost obscured within them. The mirrors all burned green and purple. Sora tried to rush forward and attack, but Riku surprisingly held him back, concentrating intensely at the center of the conflagration.

"I was once part of that vengeful wave of darkness. But over time I've realized it would be far less satisfying to see you fall if I don't see you struggle a little first. That's why I came to offer you a chance of salvation. The faintest hope that will make you squirm until the very end."

Kairielis stared at the fire, heard the sound of the knights bursting through the secret passage further behind her, but none of it was really registering in her mind. She couldn't look away from the fire, that somehow wasn't catching on the carpet, or singeing a thing in its wake.

"The truth is buried in your past, princess. Unless you free your trapped memories, and return what you have stolen, there is no hope for you and your kingdom will fall. And unlike the others, you might actually have a chance at succeeding."

"Return...what I have stolen? I've never stolen a thing in my life! And my past is-"

The army of knights rushed towards the end of the hall, but there was no one there to catch. The flames faded into low flickering embers, Maleficent's voice still echoing through the hall despite her body being nowhere to be seen.

 _"_ Save your home, or not. I don't particularly care either way how the story ends, princess, because either way I get something I want. So entertain me, will you?"

"We don't exist for your amusement!"

But she wasn't sure if Maleficent had even heard her. One more elegant cackle, and the witch was gone.

And while her presence had disappeared, something still lingered. An uneasiness that could never really go away. Like a ghost haunting the halls. Because it still wasn't clear how she had managed to break through the light barrier in the first place. Or if she could do so again.

And the princess' dreams would soon be filled with the sound of cawing crows, angrily screeching, reminding her of the impending wave that threatened to wash everything to sea. Thousands of eyes, boring down on her.

Safety, nevermore on the horizon.


	8. Ch 8: Lying Hidden Beneath

She stared at the boy dozing happily in the chair, completely oblivious to the doctor trying to patch up his various wounds. There was a light smile on his lips, and he was mumbling barely audible gibberish in his sleep. Every now and again he would wince and stir from the prodding to his injuries, but his pleasant dreams eventually took over and he would hum back into slumber with a contented sigh.

Kairielis couldn't keep her eyes off of him. And no, it wasn't because the doctors had removed his shirt. Absolutely not.

But it had also occurred to her that she had never really watched anyone else sleep before. It was a little funny; sleep was such a common ordinary thing but she ogling it on display like something mythical. And while she had been given the clear to go back to sleep herself, now that the danger had passed, she was far too anxious to even entertain the idea.

Her eyes once more traced their way across the boy in the chair, lingering a little longer in the places normally covered by his tunic, and she tried to suppress the ever growing pounding of her heart. What was this feeling? Surely now that everyone was safe she should be able to calm down? It filled her with such heat and chills at the same time. It was like her whole body was pulsing, pulling her towards him with magnetic force. She dug her toes into the carpet to try and keep herself grounded.

Sora sighed happily again and she began chewing on her lower lip, eagerly watching, floating over even more intense waves of whatever that feeling was.

"He's been through worse, I wouldn't worry."

She nearly jumped at Riku's voice, and immediately began to fidget with the blanket on her lap, picking at a patch of loose fibers from when Doc Berlioz had gotten his claws in it. _Gods_ , he had seen her staring, hadn't he?

"I...I see..." He had caught her and she knew it. "I just feel so guilty. Everyone fought with such conviction to save me, and I couldn't really help at all."

While true, it wasn't the whole truth. She hoped he couldn't see through her.

The truth was, she was completely and utterly under the spell of a boy so carefree he could nap less than an hour after trying to battle a sorceress. A boy she wanted to cuddle so close she could erase all of his pain away completely. The brightest, most determined boy she had ever met.

"You shouldn't feel that way." Riku's judging expression never changed. "With all due respect, of course."

Was it really just a statement, or was he giving her masked advice, too?

She wilted a little under his gaze. "I know it's supposed to be wrong for me to care..."

"We have always been determined to keep your light burning strong. It's our duty to do so, and nothing should come between that." Riku paused, his eyes finally softening slightly. "But...for what it's worth? I'm glad he's safe, too."

Words of that nature certainly were worth a lot, she knew that much.

Kairielis cast a hesitant glance over at the doctor, but she was concentrating dutifully on her work and wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. At least as far as Kairielis could tell.

Everything was going to be okay now. Breathe. She shifted in the chair, trying to snuggle down and get comfortable; a hopeless maneuver. The seats in the medical room weren't exactly made for lounging. But she had so steadfastly refused to head back to her room and leave Sora alone that she felt determined to stick it out no matter how stiff the chair was.

Riku, as observant as ever, gently lobbed another pillow in her direction. "Will this help?"

She caught it gratefully, but shook her head. "Probably not. Even if I had a thousand pillows I couldn't fall asleep right now..."

"Understandable. I feel the same way." Riku folded his arms over his chest and leaned up against the wall, looking just as uneasily unsettled.

Kairielis followed his lead, leaning into the stiff wooden back of the chair, tilting her head upwards as the thoughts rattled inside like bees in a nest. The patterns in the ceiling offered no answers, and very little comfort.

"Her name was Maleficent...and she seemed to know everyone. Me, my mother, grandmother...both you and Sora, too..." The question burned on her lips, but Riku knew what she wanted to ask without her having to do so.

"I'm fairly certain I would recall meeting a character like her before. She doesn't exactly fade into the background. I'm certain you would remember someone like her as well."

Exactly. That's what was so strange.

"You have no idea at all who she might be?"

The knight shrugged, tapping his fingers on the side of his arm. "All I know is what she told us. Her name is Maleficent, she's a sorceress, has some ability to manipulate shadows and likes the shape of ravens in particular, judging by those goons of hers."

Kairielis had heard about the strange army that had stormed the courtyard. Each one of the attackers had apparently resembled a stout winged demon mixed with a crow. They seemed unable to speak, only muttering spluttering squawks as they bumbled about, more acting as a distraction than anything else.

She was also glad to know, at least, that despite that woman's bragging, none of the knights who had come into contact with the witch herself had any lasting injuries. All the big talk about cutting through swaths of them had just been an attempt to either scare Sora off or bait him into a fight. Instead, most of them had been running about trying to figure out why an army of absurd creatures had decided to appear, and why their swords passed through them like shadows. As they soon discovered, it was because they _were_ shadows. It made sense, then, why Riku had been so delayed in reaching them if he had to deal with that mess first.

"It actually ended up being convenient she spawned those things on us. It made figuring out her weakness to light that much easier. Lots of fodder to test on. Luckily that bird of hers operated the same way."

"...Luckily?"

Riku smirked, ever so lightly. "It was actually just a guess at the time. I had no idea the light would actually dissipate that thing so easily."

Wait...did that mean Riku had really been putting on an act during that dramatic entrance of his? He didn't actually know shining light on the raven would work!? Kairielis tried not to let her jaw hang open. He had sounded so confident, though…

She screwed her face up at him in slight frustration. "And just moments ago you were chastising Sora over there for being too reckless! A little hypocritical, don't you think?"

Despite any excuses he might give to the contrary, she decided he was actually quite rash himself when it came to his friend. Surely the moment he saw Sora lying there hurt he stormed in to help, plan or no plan.

For some reason he seemed to find her complaint idly amusing. "I can't say you're wrong. But I was acting on the best information I had, and bluffing is half the game sometimes."

Ugh, he was so infuriatingly right all the time. Yet any energy she had towards a witty retort had long been siphoned out of her.

His plan did work, so she couldn't really complain too much about it. Besides, the more important thing to worry about were those ominous warnings thrown at her, lingering like the smell of rotting compost.

 _"_ _Unless you free your trapped memories, and return what you have stolen, there is no hope for you and your kingdom will fall."_

Stolen? What was stolen? When? And who could it even have been stolen _from_? And the darkness that she warned was coming...could it also slip through the light barrier? Was her ritual even working?

"Riku...how did she get past the barrier? Do you think it was because I didn't-"

"No."

She was startled by his hard answer, and clutched the pillow he had tossed her. "If it wasn't me, then how?"

"Rumors that I've been hearing say it might be because of the drought. Your blessing can only cover where there is water in the earth. Some places have gotten quite dry, and the barrier might be weakened."

"That's horrible!" She yelled so loudly that Sora stirred with a moan. Clamping her hands over her mouth she waited, frozen, until he settled back down. It was difficult to keep her trembling voice low. "T-then if the water runs out..."

Riku didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Thinking about this wasn't going to help her insomnia one bit. She groaned and buried her head in her lap.

"It's only a rumor. In my opinion I think even just a drop of your light is strong enough, and we aren't at that dire of crisis yet."

If every last drop of water was gone, they certainly would have more than darkness to worry about. She tipped her morose face to the side so she could speak without having her words get caught up in the fluff of the blanket.

"Then, in your opinion, how did she get in?"

"Maybe she always was in. She wouldn't have to come through the barrier if she was already inside."

"Don't say things like that!" That was almost even more scary.

He didn't respond again, but in her mind she could almost hear him retorting with a sharp yet simple 'well, you asked.'

"Riku...can I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I want to think about something else. Can you tell me a story? About anything. Even if its all made up. Just nothing about witches, darkness, or of knights and royalty."

He hesitated, more like he was struggling to think of what to say, rather than trying to phrase a refusal. "I'm...not the best storyteller."

As if that mattered right now. She sat up and widened her eyes and let them beseech him again a second time for her, wordlessly. He didn't seem any more motivated, or appreciative of this and she pursed her lips. Sora would have fallen for that look for sure.

"No need to pout."

Her doe-eyed begging face crumbled and she haughtily cleared her throat in an attempt to save face. "You _agreed_ to do me a favor. If either of us is pouting about it, it's you."

He tutted slightly and shifted against the stone wall. "Glad to see tonight's ordeal hasn't dampened your spirits. But if the princess recalls, I never actually agreed to anything."

Ugh, dang him and his snark again.

"Watch yourself, mister."

He shrugged lazily, trying to seem like he didn't care. But she could see him smiling. "I'll do my best. Maybe if it's boring enough it'll put you to sleep."

Was that meant to be some sort of challenge? "We'll see. But you'd better put effort into it! I'll know if you don't."

"Once upon a time there was a knight-"

The princess immediately cut him off with a hiss. "I said no knights!"

"Fine, give me a moment to think."

He cleared his throat and began again.

* * *

"Once upon a time there was a shoemaker, who prided himself on his tidy, even stitches. He claimed to be able to patch any leaking boot, re-lace any worn sandal, and breathe life into the oldest leather.

But the shoemaker had a deep shame. No matter how many patches he tried to stitch on, no matter how much sweat and tears he devoted to it, there was one thing in his life he had yet to fix: his conceited son. The shoemaker wanted him to become a good man some day, but work was far too demanding and the time he could spend with him far too short. His son was still young, but was prone to jealous outbursts and as the years went on was growing all the more narcissistic. It didn't help that his mother coddled him so. The boy valued family, but for all the wrong reasons. He wore his father's work proudly on his feet, willingly treading on the backs of those he considered inferior.

'My father made all _those people_ wonderful shoes to keep out the muck and the rain, so they owe us!' he would haughtily exclaim, never once understanding any lessons of humility the shoemaker tried to instill in him. To his son, the value of family was in its pedigree, and reputation. The value of birthright was what set them apart from the rest. His son would also regularly get into scraps with punks from the neighborhood whenever they would 'affront his honor', and paraded around his victories like it wasn't something shameful.

The shoemaker thought it all hopeless. And it might have been, had he not run into an unexpected treasure that changed everything...

He was on his way to deliver a pair of loafers to a very persnickety customer who demanded punctuality. Already running tight on time, he was rushing along the street when, from down in the gutters he could hear a faint mewing. A creature was hiding, shivering just inside the darkness of the sewer. A creature that maybe at one point in its life would have resembled a kitten more than the matted ball of half dried mud did now. It looked up at him with hungry eyes, and the shoemaker was torn. But despite his rush, the goodness of his heart refused to let him pass the stray animal by without trying to help. Digging into his satchel pocket, he fished out his lunch and offered a bite of it over. The kitten lapped it up eagerly, waiting for a second helping.

Once the young cat had eaten its fill, the shoemaker reached into the tight gap and tried to scoop the animal up into his arms, but it fled further into the darkness out of reach.

It was at that moment he made a very smart decision, that not many would have chosen.

He set his precious delivery to the side, and shimmied himself into the small gap after the lost kitten. There was no light in that place, so all he could do was strain his ears to try and make out the faint patter of the kitten's paws to know which direction to walk. He scraped along the narrow path, trying to ignore the stench and dampness he could feel leaking into his clothes.

When the path finally widened into a chamber of sorts, it was thankfully lit by a few rays of sun streaming down from some cracks above. The kitten sat down here, mewing again, pawing through the bars of a twisted metal cage at a small trinket lying forgotten on the cold floor inside. It looked like something one might see discarded in the alchemists' workshop. There they had been fiddling with new technology, designing these odd circular metal rings that would catch one another as they spun, moving other smaller parts alongside them in an even rhythm. Their goal was to one day make it spin with just the right canter it could be used to know how far along the sun had moved across the sky without using shadows, but the simple shoemaker wasn't quite sure anything like that was possible.

The object being tossed around by the cat looked like a rudimentary form of such an alchemist's device. It was rusted over, and many of the metal disks looked like they had almost been set upon by the sewer rats, gnawed around the edges. It was popped open, none of the rings properly touching, and it had various glass lenses stuffed out at all sorts of angles like an afterthought, twisted and bent out of shape.

There was no doubt it was broken. The small kitten mewed a bit and pawed the device again, looking straight at him. Did the cat want him to retrieve this trinket from the cage? Was it supposed to be a thank you gift? He reached in to try and pull it between the bars, but it was just a bit too wide and was stuck tight. Being a shoemaker, however, he had a few spare needles with him, and did his best to pick the rusted lock on the door.

After considerable time and effort, the door swung open with a shrill screech, finally giving him access to the twisted metal object within. He bent down to more closely examine it, but once his scrutiny was over and he looked up, he realized the cat had now disappeared. Perhaps it had been a messenger from the Gods, guiding him to this...device. And he didn't want to doubt the Gods, but he couldn't yet see why he had been gifted something so broken and pointless.

The shoemaker stuffed the object into his pocket and returned to the surface to finally deliver his tardy parcel. For weeks after, he studied the strange trinket but had yet to understand what to do with it. It was such a lonely, sad thing. Unwanted by whoever had made it. Who knew how long ago it had been discarded? It had sat alone in that sewer being munched upon by disease-ridden vermin, its only friends the stray cats that may have wandered inside.

For no real reason, he gave it a home in a spare corner of his house. It hung from the rafters near the window on a spare string, the sunlight passing through its various lenses to reflect rainbows across the walls. If the window was open, it also shifted in the light breeze, its rings clanging against each other to make an unusual yet hauntingly beautiful hum.

The shoemaker's son was entirely unimpressed by it, upset that his father had brought such low class junk into the house. _And_ that the family had been severely reprimanded for the tardy delivery that had resulted in him straying off to retrieve it.

'How was this broken, useless thing worth our family reputation!?' His son complained. Every day he threw fits, and tried his best to shatter the strange little curiosity even further, but it still hung around in the corner, brightly reflecting every known hue throughout their home.

For a moment, the shoemaker considered getting rid of it, not sure if it was worth the trouble. But it seemed far too innocent to punish, and so it remained in their home. His wife was particularly taken by it, bringing out even more jealousy from his son. 'It may be broken, but such lovely songs it sings,' she would say 'when the breeze moves it just so!'

One day it disappeared, and his son came home later than usual, splattered with both guilt and mud in equal measure. But nothing was said between them. As the days passed, there was still no sign of the lovely trinket, and the shoemaker decided perhaps it had been lost for good. He was glad, at least, that his son seemed to be bearing far fewer bruises than before, picking fewer fights on the street almost like he was avoiding trouble altogether. But while his son seemed initially joyful at the sudden silence in the house, within a day or two he was now bearing heavy melancholy.

After the guilt ate him up enough, his son confessed.

'I dragged the trinket out to the woods. The scariest one, filled with the long crooked trees with branches like claws. But it never lost its shine, no matter how long we wandered into the darkest places. I hung it up on a high tree, pretending it was all a game. Saying I would come back for it, even though I knew the whole time I was going to leave it behind. It was like it knew, but it waited there all the same. Before I could flee, I ran into the Lorrel Street gang. They all wanted a piece of me, so I pointed to the charm as a distraction and fled.'

The son also confessed he had thought it was a great way to be rid of the thing and was quite proud of himself at the time, but now regretted everything. And no matter how hard he had scoured the forest since, it was gone.

'Before I realized it, I must have gotten accustomed to its comforting song every morning, and the lights that once brightened the walls of our home are now missing. Our home has never felt so empty.'

The shoemaker morosely agreed, and his son bore the punishment for his selfish act well. But it didn't change the reality that they all missed the silly broken trinket that had added a little color to their lives. Then, one afternoon, his son disappeared again and could not be found anywhere. The shoemakers wife, distraught, called several neighbors to help them search but he had disappeared like smoke on the wind.

He came hobbling back in the dead of night, beaten and bruised, but holding the long lost chime up high. The shoemaker never knew how hard the son had fought to reclaim it from those punks that had tried to keep it as their own. He never knew how the chime had simply _glowed_ when it saw the son coming back to reclaim it from its forced servitude, its jingling notes almost calling out to him in gratitude.

Yet that was when the son understood all those lessons his father had been trying to tell him. It was considered by most at first to be a useless, broken thing with no point to its existence, abandoned for a reason. But that only just made it all the more preciously unique.

'It's part of our family, this silly thing. It doesn't matter where it came from, or what it can or can't do. Because family isn't about what we can do, or how rich and mighty we are—its about what connects us together, it's about helping each other. That's why you make such wonderful shoes for everyone, isn't it? Not so that they owe you, but because we are all a family and need to help each other.'

Somehow a broken, discarded object that most would consider trash had granted the shoemakers' most fervent wish. It had taught his son the real meaning of family.

Some time after, an old friend, a woman who had been widowed far before her time, came to visit. She saw the object happily dangling from the rafters, heard its beautiful song, and smiled for the first time in years. With tears in her eyes, she begged to be allowed to come visit more, just to hear the lovely chimes in the wind. It's sound, reminded her of the songs her husband had once sung, it's shimmering color the same hue as her lovers' eyes. It was then that the shoemaker understood. He gifted her the object straightaway. And when it seemed to happily twinkle in her hands, he knew he had made the right choice.

For even though it had been something with no clear purpose, that had appeared to have been broken beyond repair, it somehow was able to catch the rays of light _just_ so. And no matter who saw it was able to see the hidden joy.

The shoemaker hoped that anyone who came across that curious little thing in the future would learn to find joy and love in turn. His son continued to visit the chimes in its new home nearly every day, never forgetting the lessons he had learned.

The shoemaker hoped his son would now grow into a good man. He still got into fights time and time again, but not everyone is perfect, after all."

* * *

Riku checked on the sleeping beauty of a princess, snuggled comfortably down in her chair, her breath heavy and even. There also appeared to be a certain grumpy cat curled up on her lap dozing with her.

"I told you my story would be boring."

He wasn't quite sure when she had drifted off, but was glad at least she would be able to get a bit of rest before dawn. And while he was sure there were still many fears plaguing her mind, she seemed at least a bit at peace now.

Sora gave another mumbling laugh and shifted a bit, still in his own dreamland. The only part of his gibberish that was intelligible was a brief sigh of the name of a certain girl resting just across from him. The doctor had long since left, leaving the three of them alone in that quiet hour just before the sky lightened with the first rays of sun. And in that silence, Riku gave his friend the hardest flick in the forehead he could muster without waking him.

"All my warnings didn't amount to a thing, did they? You little troublemaker. Consider yourself lucky that tonight and tonight only, I'm sparing you that cold splash of lake water I promised."

Casting a sympathetic look back at the princess, Riku couldn't help but feel sorrow over the whole twisted situation.

"...Throughout the whole kingdom, no matter who came across that curious little trinket was able to find happiness. While normally light seems white, neutral or pale, that treasure could always find a way to display all the color and joy that was hidden just beyond our sight. And when it was free in the wind, carelessly spinning about, those chimes could echo the very sound of cheer from the highest peak."

Riku gave his friend's forehead another flick, more gently this time, then took a spot on the floor with his back to the wall, trying to get comfortable, his eyes gazing out the window at the stars which were slowly but surely fading with the night. He wondered for a moment if his life really would have ended up the same if his father had been a shoemaker instead of a castle knight.

Probably. Some destinies were impossible to run away from.

He chanced a glance back at the slumbering girl, and let his story continue to be mumbled aimlessly into the night. Neither of them could hear it, and maybe that was for the best.

"...Even the princess wasn't immune to charm of that odd little trinket. But no one could really blame her. Like the others, from the moment she met him...she fell in love. There was simply no way to stop it."

He closed his eyes and breathed in the still air.

"No way at all."

* * *

It really was uncanny. How had she never thought of it before?

Maybe because she hadn't had that dream in years. And dreams themselves are floaty things unable to be captured. Remembering them was like trying to scoop up fog with a bug net. She could still feel faint remnants of her dream drifting like dust around in the back of her mind, and she struggled to gather it up in her hands.

It was a dream about the so-called Rat Children. A horrendous term that she preferred not to use herself. Long before her father had started the program to round them up in actual orphanages, children without parents would often wander the streets alone, and, inevitably form small groups to keep each other safe from danger. Like small, improvised families they often lived in the winding underground tunnels of the gutters and sewers, darting up above ground for food and other resources now and again. Shopkeepers would see them and exclaim in horror that the 'rats have returned!', and would chase them away from the food stalls with whatever was on hand. It was too cruel. But no one knew what to do with them. Some kind souls would leave them little care packages here and there, in hopes that they would be found before the contents rotted or spoiled under the sun.

She had seen these poor children in her sleep now and again, the same dream repeating over and over, but their faces were blurry and dark. But for some reason, this time, one of the little orphans in her dream had very, very distinctive blue eyes. Something that she had either never noticed before in all the past iterations of it, or her brain had just decided to suddenly insert them there for no real reason.

The events always played out the same. A small band of orphans, running pell-mell through the damp sewers, not caring about the slime and gunk as they tripped and staggered towards their goal. She was among them. She couldn't see her body, but somehow knew she was also a child. She was one of them. There was the distinct feeling that something or someone was chasing them, but no matter how many times she glanced over her shoulder she could see nothing. One of the small girls next to her tripped, and she stopped to help her up. The dirtied young girl with a blurry face and grimy fingers clasped her own clean hand tightly, leaving smudges along the back.

And the girl called her sister. They continued to run together, fear gripping them all, their little feet pattering through the damp pathways. They ran through narrow passages, over slimy bridges over darkened chasms of gushing water until they reached a grate, within which was set a small barred door. One of the children, with trembling hands, unlocked it with a very rusty key that threatened to crumble into nothing but dust. One at a time the children slipped through the tiny door, save for one. The one with the bright blue eyes.

He said he had a plan. He knew how to save them. From what? She had no idea.

It was here the dream began to fall apart. She could hear words but couldn't understand them. Everything became muddled until all the sound itself melted away to nothing.

She was underwater.

Sharp pain.

And then she would wake up, baffled and disturbed by what she had seen. For she had never ventured out into the streets alone at a young age, let alone gone into the sewers. She had never met any of those orphans, only heard of them when being taught social issues at her lessons. And she definitely did not have a sister, nor anyone her age who would have been allowed to hold her hand like that. It was all some fake dream world.

But Sora looked so...similar to that boy she couldn't help but feel oddly suspicious. Surely there was some reason for it.

Maybe it really was just her brain inserting him into that place because it was scary, and she wanted him there. That would make sense, especially considering what he had just done to protect her in a display of utter devotion.

A tell-tale reverberating thump from her heart rippled through her body. Warm, cold shivers traveled up her back. She couldn't look away from him, sitting across from her. It took everything she had to hold back all the words she desperately wished to declare out in the open, to confess to all the silly little fantasies she had been daydreaming of.

Sora, however, was starting to look noticeably uncomfortable at how closely she was observing him in silence, but she couldn't figure out what to say that wasn't embarrassingly incriminating. Thankfully, he broke the strange tension for her.

"...Everything okay? Something on my face?"

"Y-yes! I mean no! I mean yes and no..." She pinched herself in the leg, trying very hard not to notice Riku smirking at her. "I just had a peculiar dream. Your face is fine, I promise."

She flushed, knowing his face was definitely more than _fine_.

"Weird dream, huh? I've had my share of those now and again. Wanna talk about it?"

It was a temping offer, but she wasn't really sure how to even begin to explain the images in her head. But since he offered, there was a question nagging at her still.

"Sora...um...this is a bit of a strange question, but you _did_ say you have a mom, right?"

He blinked up at her. "Uh...yeah? She runs an accessory shop with all sorts of jewelry and-"

"So you aren't an orphan?"

Even more baffled, he gave Riku a hesitant side glance. "Uh...did I miss something while I was asleep? Why are you asking about-"

Flustered at herself for even bringing up such a thing, she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Forget it, I shouldn't be hounding you about such personal things so early in the morning..."

 _Or ever._ She mumbled inwardly.

He shrugged it off with a laugh, like usual. "No problem!"

Sora fidgeted a little in the over sized chair, trying to refasten some of the buckles and straps on his tunic. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a little regretful he was dressed now. She felt a pang of guilt, though, every time she saw him struggling to adjust his clothing over the bandaged areas.

 _"_ I'm...glad you're doing better. Does it still hurt at all?"

He brushed his fingers slightly over his shoulder and tried his best to hide his wince. "Not...much."

That meant yes.

"Saying thank you feels like it's not quite enough, but...thank you, again..."

"I'm happy every time you thank me, and uh...well, I can tell you really mean it, but maybe you don't need to...or just one time is..." He seemed to be struggling with how to phrase his thoughts, allowing Riku to interject his own guess in the silence.

"I think what he's trying to say, is that you don't need to keep thanking him repetitively. He can tell you are sincere enough the first time."

Sora confirmed his friends' guess to be correct, and sat back in the over-sized chair as carefree and relaxed as ever, forgetting all the rules, of course, that were supposed to forbid him from doing just that.

"I see. Well, if either of you ever feel like you need more rest or need to see the doctor again please let me know, okay? Let's try to take it easy today."

He cheered lightly, much to Riku's chagrin. "I can agree with that!"

It was undeniable, the way his eyes lit up. Sora had been in her dreams. As a child in the sewer. But why? Well, it's not like it mattered so maybe she should just let it go. Inserting him into that dream must have been a manifestation of the special connection she felt forming between them. It was still unsaid, unconfirmed, but she was sure he cared about her too. She refused to believe otherwise, that he was just acting out of duty.

A knock at the door turned all their heads.

Ienzo shuffled in with a slight bow, looking rather haggard as if he had just stayed up the whole night pouring over tomes of rules and statutes.

"Your Highness, your father requests your presence in the Fawn Chamber once your ritual is complete this morning. A decision has been reached."

She was questioning just about everything about that sentence, but narrowed it down to one. "A decision? About what?"

Nothing irritated her more than when people were discussing things that involved her without, well, involving her.

Ienzo blinked heavily a few times, and after tidily clearing his throat, said something that made her blood run cold.

"In regards to your upcoming Light Bonding."

"M-my...my _what_."

He didn't even give her a chance to process her own thoughts.

"I know barely half a season has passed since your birthday, and you still have a few more to pass before you officially come of age, but considering the events of last night...the King made his opinions on the matter quite clear. I suggest you listen to what he has to say."

Sora, who had hastily jumped up from the chair earlier when the door swung open was now nursing a bruise he had irritated in doing so. He prodded Riku lightly in the side and tried to keep his voice low, but Kairielis could still hear him.

"What's a light bonding?"

Riku glanced over towards her, his face blanched with an emotion that she couldn't quite place. Sorrow? Concern? Resignation? Whatever it was, it seemed painful. He knew the answer, but was dreading telling Sora what it was. Finally, resignedly, he tipped his head down towards his friend and whispered something in his ear.

This time, Sora didn't even bother suppressing his voice, his shocked yelp bouncing off the walls.

"S-she's getting married!?"

Kairielis stomped her foot angrily on the carpet. The sound was not nearly as satisfying as on the stone tiles. "I most certainly am _not_. At least not yet, if I have anything to say about it."

If disapproving looks could kill, Sora would be in a lot of trouble. Ienzo contemplated him with contempt.

"It is only establishing a subject for the betrothal, not the actual marriage." He then turned his cold eyes towards her once more. "We will await your arrival, princess."

All her protests were immediately silenced as Ienzo gave a stiff bow and turned on his heel to leave.

"Wait! Tell my father I don't agree to this! I won't-"

The door shut behind him with an echoing clang.

From one emotional trial to the other, she just couldn't have _one_ day without disaster. At least she knew who the antagonist was this time. Kairielis was going to march into that room, and give her father and whoever else thought this up a piece of her mind!

...Hopefully.

Her throat felt scratchy and dry again, and she tried to swallow through it. It hurt. She begged her eyes not to look across the room at those two. Especially not...

Her eyes didn't listen.

And his face was painted with just the expression she feared she would see. The same desperate sadness as a caged bird that she had seen only once before on his face. It was obvious he wanted to scream something out, but was forced to hold it back in, the words painful as they churned inside him like a storm.

She saw it plainly that no one in the room agreed with this ludicrous notion. Even Berlioz was raking his claws though the carpet testily.

She didn't want to be married, engaged or any such thing! She didn't even want to think about it! Not yet. Obviously she knew marriage was something necessary for her to do one day, but part of her always believed she would find someone on her own, when she was ready.

Someone who would make her heart turn into butterflies, who could help her smile through the dark times, fill her with hope for the future. Someone she loved.

Not someone assigned to her like she was a lamb being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

This was something she wasn't about to roll over and accept. In all her life she had never been able to stand up to her father, but this time wasn't like all the others. She wasn't alone.

And she was angry.

Woe to anyone who underestimated a stormy sea.

* * *

 **A/N: It is Obon now, so I will be going on a brief vacation of sorts.** **So the next chapter will be slightly delayed, sorry!** **I hope everyone stays safe, and is able to spend some quality time with their families. I'll be back soon after!**

 **-A. Moth**


	9. Ch 9: The Last Calm

Something was not right. Not right at all.

Reflected upon by many, this thought was circling among the denizens of the Seven Gardens, as unseen and as contagious as a cold.

First it was the minstrel as he peered down at his snapped lute string and sighed, mentally weighing the coins currently nestled in his hat against the recalled price of a good fresh length of cord. Not nearly enough. Ah well, the ballad of the lovely Maria and Draco would have to continue without a proper note or two.

So he played. But it wasn't right.

Then it was Emmett Brown as he creaked his door open just a sliver. Bad luck couldn't slip through just a sliver...right? He peeked nervously at his front garden, or at what he could see of it anyway. Squinting, he tried to observe the faint movements of the leaves, just to be sure it was safe.

He slammed the door shut, disturbing the morning doves trying to roost in the nearby bush.

Nope. Something was _definitely_ weird.

The doves, mid-flight, thought so too. Though they were fairly sure what, or rather _who_ the weird thing was.

Even the castle was affected.

A head of sunshine blonde hair snuggled against the cool side of her pillow, enjoying a brief respite from her nightmares, trying to ignore the real rays of the morning peeking through the curtains. While the princess still slept, her personal guard was already at work, tidying up the bedroom before breakfast. Beatrix scooped up some of the stray doodles that had been partially crunched under the wheels of Namine's chair and had to swallow her curses in order to not disturb the sleeping child nearby.

But it was just as the former general had feared. Yet again, each discarded picture had the exact same name scrawled across the top, as if it was a letter. What it meant, she couldn't say. The scratchy drawings didn't whisper their hidden secrets to her. However, from them she understood three things.

One, that the true recipient of these messages should get a chance to see them. Second, the little gamble she had made years ago allowing that nontraditional upstart to get promoted looked like it was going to pay off.

As for the third thing…

Beatrix stamped the edges of the drawings on the table, straightening the pile as much as possible. Her guilt was pungent, hanging in the air.

There was something disconcertingly wrong. Not just with the drawings, but with everything. This whole mess. And it was about time she had a chance to fix it.

* * *

"So...this 'Light Bonding' thing _is_ a marriage, right?" Sora's pace slowed slightly, his face still just as cloudy as it had been in the medical ward, and all through the Refraction ritual.

Riku didn't look much better himself. "Essentially. But royal marriages are...complicated."

"Oh, it's not complicated at all." She overtook the two of them briskly, trying to keep herself focused on her mission. "It's all about putting on a show."

She heard the hesitant patter of Sora's footsteps chasing after her. "Uh...a show?"

"Mm-hmm. All seven parts of our kingdom are connected, but what sets them apart are the spectacular gardens, the pride of each district. Most importantly, the Flower Festival. You've seen it, right?"

Sora shrugged at her, still looking a baffled. "Well sure, it's a big deal no matter where you are. But what does that have to do with you getting...you know... _engaged_?"

He whispered the last word like it was something taboo. She almost wished it was.

"The Festival is where the best-in-show is crowned. It's another meaningless title, but certain people take those things seriously. Very seriously."

"Present company excluded."

Clearly not much disrupted Riku's snark, but she wasn't going to blame him for trying to keep things casual. Maybe it was his own way of trying to calm her down. If she wasn't so focused, maybe she would have been willing to entertain some banter, but she just kept striding towards the large doors at the end of the hall, keeping her words as pointed as possible.

"Regardless, while the royal family isn't meant to play favorites, there are tax deductions given to the home garden of whoever marries into the family for the first five years after the wedding as a form of compensation. I suppose because the duke or son of the duke or whoever is chosen relocates to Radiant Garden permanently and they decided this was a fair trade-off."

Just as she expected, Riku caught on to her implications without difficulty. "I see. With tax deductions, more funds would be free to allocate towards areas like garden development and maintenance. Greed being greed means: whoever is serious enough about a garden Festival would be more than willing to bribe the committee responsible for selecting your future husband."

"And they enjoy the bribes, I'm sure. That's why it's all a show. My life is just a trifle when it comes to something as dreadfully important as a flower competition."

While political manipulation and taxes weren't his forte, she could see things starting to click into place in Sora's mind. Even through the sarcasm she tried to mask it with, he was realizing the extent of her frustrating situation.

Because her issue wasn't only about getting engaged or married before she was ready. It was that her lovely husband-to-be was going to be selected based on, as Riku had phrased it, pure greed.

Sora chewed hesitantly at the corner of his mouth for a moment, as if he was dreading his next question.

"Do you really have no say at all?"

One glance was all it took to answer.

"That's so..."

Nothing more was said. Nothing needed to be said.

Riku picked up his pace slightly so he could reach the hallway doors and hold them open for Kairielis to pass through without breaking a single stride of her determined pace. Sora scurried after, nodding at his friend as he passed, still looking as rattled as a baby bird who had just learned today was flight lesson number one.

Eventually, Riku broke the tension with another well-founded guess.

"I suspect this matter is being introduced so prematurely because of fears around a lack of an heir, or something of that nature."

This only seemed to confuse Sora even further. "Lack of an error? But...no one made an error. We stopped the witch, right? Everything should be okay!"

"Heir, not err."

Sora blinked, his blank expression betrayed his bewilderment, clearly not hearing a difference between the two.

"Uh..."

Kairielis couldn't help but smile at least a little, despite still feeling like someone had replaced her stomach with a sack of rocks. She also had an inkling that Riku purposefully liked tricking his friend with homophones.

"What he means is, they want my first born as soon as possible, Sora."

"First bo...w-wait, like have a baby? But you..." He struggled to stammer out his thoughts as they tumbled out unfiltered from his mouth. "That's too soon, right? W-why is it-if they want a baby so bad why don't they just adopt, or-"

Riku started coughing, clearly choking back an impressive amount of restraint at some snippy remark he wanted to tease his friend with. Sora retorted with an agitated glare and a huff. Rather than comment, she chose to move on from the issue as gracefully as possible, just like her uninterrupted procession down the hall.

"They don't need any baby. They need mine. My first born child specifically will inherit the Ability, so I will no longer be the only source. If things were still peaceful, there wouldn't be an issue. But now that witch has gotten them spooked. That's why they are likely rushing my engagement."

"Oh..."

The explanation, as she expected, wasn't a comfort to him. However, rather than looking even more angry or sad, he looked oddly...embarrassed? He swallowed heavily, and his hesitation made her all the more curious.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head desperately, as if she had just told him to go eat a bug. "I...I-I'd rather not..."

And his face only grew redder.

This finally got her attention enough to halt her forward march. She pursed her lips at him and silently let her expression request he reconsider.

He did, albeit reluctantly. It was at least slightly relieving to see she still had influence over _someone_. It gave her a little bit of confidence that maybe she could actually pull off this whole storming-in-and-confronting-her-father thing.

"Uh...well...I just...they want you to have a child, right?"

"Eventually, yes. Why? Is there something you're still confused about?"

He floundered, finally deciding it was easier to stare at the wallpaper depicting ivy vines lacing vertically up to the ceiling than continue to look at her.

"N-no, not really. It's just...n-no one can touch you, s-so..." His voice cracked a little from nervousness. "h-how...uh...how can you..."

...Oh gosh.

Before she could grace him with an answer to his _elegantly_ implied question, Riku gave him a hearty smack upside the back of his head.

"I can't believe what comes out of your mouth sometimes."

"That's why I didn't want to ask!"

He had a point. She _had_ sort of forced him into it, so she couldn't really hold it against him. Besides, it was a rather gauche, ignorant thing to bring up, but he didn't mean anything salacious or rude behind it. He just honestly didn't know.

"That's why we call it a Light Bonding ceremony. It's different than a regular marriage."

"I don't understand..."

To be fully honest, she didn't know too much about it herself. Her mother had never gone through Light Bonding, and her grandmother had certainly never explained much, so it always felt like this scary phantom of a thing; hovering, waiting for her in the future. At least she was knowledgeable enough to briefly explain about it, but beyond that she was a bit clueless.

"Well...from what I was told, both of us will enter the rising waters of the temple within the central pool. I use my ability in the water and the priests know a way to bind my light to him, so after that moment there will be no barriers at all between us. Meaning...um..."

"One kiss later and it's happily ever after." Riku glumly summarized for her. "Children and all."

Kairielis flicked at a button on her blouse, trying to fight back the shiver of fear clawing its way up her back. It's not that she didn't want a son or daughter some day, but the very notion that she was being used as a tool only to propagate the family line was frankly, disgusting. She knew that she herself had been born out of duty, rather than out of happiness. Her mother never confessed otherwise to her as far as she could remember, but she always wondered how she had really felt about having an arranged marriage, and being pushed at a likely young age as well to have a child. It was one of those things she wished her mother was still around to ask about. It hurt enough not having her at all, but when she needed someone to turn to for advice there was nothing but a gaping hole glaring back at her.

Sora still seemed hesitant. "But if you can go into the pool with someone and then be able to touch them and stuff...why don't you just 'Light Bond' or whatever with everyone?"

"Well, that's-"

"Then you could do it with us too, right?" He gestured between him and Riku, despite his friend recoiling in dumbfounded horror at his statement.

" _Excuse_ me?" Kairielis bore her eyes into him, trying to ignore the little part in the back of her brain that was giggling away at the implication. "Are you...saying you want to do the Bonding ceremony with me?"

"Well yeah, if it means it would be easier to..." He caught sight of Riku's pointed stare and floundered. "W-well not the whole thing obviously! We can skip the kissing part! Because even if I—I mean, I know I c-couldn't— _we_ couldn't-"

"Sora?" Riku didn't even try to peek out from under the hand plastered over his own forehead, covering his equal measures of shame and frustration.

"Y-yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Got it..."

The poor thing sagged under his own weight, slumping his head against the tacky ivy wallpaper. Despite all his flubbing, she had the small semblance of a notion what he was getting at. Besides, if she was being honest, him getting flustered like this was a welcome distraction to the dread that waited for her at the end of the hallway so she wasn't all that mad about it. At its core, she assumed he was trying to understand why she wasn't able to simply bless the entire kingdom in the water and then solve her issues of isolation in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, nothing could be that simple.

"Sora, to answer your actual question: Light Bonding isn't something I can do over and over. It's like putting a piece of my own heart into someone else. I would love if I could repeat the process over and over with everyone I care about, but it doesn't work that way. It has...limitations. No matter how much I would want to, and no matter how much I care for you two, I-"

 _Oh no._

She cut herself off in a slight panic, realizing her phrasing had unveiled the one thing she wasn't supposed to. Her heart thumped and she glanced with panicked eyes at the two of them. Sora, still looking dreadfully repentant over just about everything, hadn't seemed to notice what she had just unintentionally confessed, thank the gods, but Riku was patiently waiting for her to finish with an unnaturally stiff expression like he was trying incredibly hard to suppress every emotion in his face.

Perfect. Just perfect.

"What I mean is...it's a very, very draining process. If I performed it with too many people I would eventually run out of pieces of myself to give. That's why I can't just bless everyone and be done with it."

"I understand! I'm really, _really_ sorry. It's special and private, right? I'll respect that and try not to ask any more stupid questions."

He apologized swiftly, sincerely and with such gusto that she didn't even bother pretending she had to consider forgiving him or not. He was probably inwardly kicking himself in the head more than enough to compensate for any possible slight.

"It's okay..."

She mostly just hoped Riku wouldn't say anything.

He didn't.

So she hesitantly resumed her journey towards the Fawn Room, where her father waited. She noticed on the walk this time, rather than quivering with trepidation and dread, Sora strode next to her with a newfound determination.

"Okay...so if I understand all this stuff about Light Bonding correctly, then...forcing you into it is even more wrong than I thought! No matter what you should never be forced to give your heart over to some guy you don't even know. Or forced to have a child before you're ready either. That's awful."

Riku nodded his head towards the last door in the hall, right before the Fawn Room within which the King was waiting.

"Glad you're finally up to speed, but watch your tongue in there. Remember your position and let her do the talking."

Sora scrunched up his fists, but ultimately relented after he caught a glimpse of her pleading face. The last thing she needed right now was for him to mouth off in front of her father.

"I know I'm not supposed to...but she should be allowed to find someone who she can freely give her heart to without any hesitation at all. If he doesn't agree, how am I supposed to stay quiet about it!?"

There wasn't really a way to answer that question. Kairielis rested her hand on the handle, the cold brass making her shiver.

"I really hope my father is feeling agreeable today. But, if he isn't..." She gave Riku a light nod. "Don't leave Sora on his own, okay?"

She had tried to say this lightheartedly, but she knew her voice was trembling and it came across much more serious than she had intended. Riku gave her a swift salute.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Trust me, I've got all sorts of ways to mute him if I need to."

"Whose side are you on?" Sora grumbled, but quickly dropped the issue in favor of giving her one last encouraging smile. "No matter what we're right behind you, okay? Deep breath, chin up, and give him some fire enough for the three of us!"

Encouraging, like always. Hopefully this time she could actually manage to get more than a sentence out before backing down. No, she definitely would!

She gripped the handle and pushed forward.

* * *

There are many eternal unchanging truths in the world. A small minnow in a pond will spend its whole life circling around the watery prison granted to it by birth, never knowing the shape of the trees beyond the shoreline. Because it is a fish. The unchanging truth about fish, is that small minnows are not meant to dash freely among the ferns and bushes of the forest. And no matter how freely it may swim within its domain, it will always and forever remain a fish.

To the harshness of truth and reality, there was no difference between a fish and a princess.

Kairielis stuffed her face harder into the already soaked pillow she was clutching like it was her only salvation. But she knew she was only circling, trapped in her own little pond that was ever shrinking around her as the summer heat continued to dry every last drop. And no matter how much she cried, her tears couldn't possibly replace what was now missing.

Because there was one other inevitable truth that no one could hide from. Everything, everything, everything, no matter how wonderful, or powerful or beautiful will inevitably end. This entire time she had been living in a castle of dreams on the shore, built up of fantasies and disillusions as unstable and ever shifting as stacks of sand. She had enjoyed all these little lies that she comforted herself with. Lies that told her she was more than a miniature fish. That she was more than a tool of destiny. That she could one day share the tiniest bit of love with someone else.

But now a wave was crashing up against her shore. She could only stand with her feet buried in the muck as the warm water rushed past her, surging and powerful, ripping her castle into pieces before her eyes. All the happiness that she had with those two dissolved into nothing, and was wrenched with the ebb of the tide across her ankles and finally out to sea.

Everything ends.

Even one day the wave will disappear, to be replaced with another.

 _Perhaps I really would be better off as a cicada._ She wiped her raw eyes one more time. _At least_ _they could be free, even for a day._

A soft knock sounded at her door but she barely even stirred from her slumped position in the corner. The last thing she wanted was to remember that they were there.

She was embarrassed. But more than that she knew just thinking about him made _everything_ hurt that much worse. Because she cared far too much. He was everything she was now starkly aware she couldn't ever have.

"Are you sure you didn't need anything? We'll be out here if you ever want to talk, okay?"

His voice was muffled from behind the stiff mahogany of the door, but she knew who it was without even thinking. Why did he have to always be so...

He always said the right things, to make her heart flutter. Always had that bright light in his eyes that she had never noticed in anyone else. Filled her dreams with such flighty fantasies…

Why had he done this to her?

It was all his fault.

Gripping the edges of her tear-stained pillow all the more firmly, she jerked to her feet then hurled it childishly against the door. But she knew something that simple wouldn't drive him away. That was what made him so wonderful. Wonderfully...problematic.

She had no one to blame but herself.

Feeling her eyes swelling up once more, she dove onto her bed and buried her face into the sheets. She barely heard Riku's voice, just as muffled through the wood.

"Better to just let her be for now."

 _But what even am I supposed to be? A princess?_ _A queen? A mother? I'm just a body for perpetuating tradition and nothing else matters._

She hoped tomorrow would never come. How had things ended up so wrong?

Oh how _generous_ her father had been, they said. How _compromising_ to allow even the slightest change to convention. It was her first real success at relaxing the rules, but she had nothing to celebrate. She had shouted until she had burst into tears, but it didn't change anything. He still got what he want in the end: her engagement would proceed with one meager concession. So what if she was the one making the final pick from a selection of suitors rather than having that left up to Committee vote? And tomorrow they were going to parade them all out in front of her, all six of them. Six!

And she was supposed to choose the future king from such a veritable cornucopia! Ugh!

The person she would have to be with forever. With whom she would have to...

She slammed a fist against the covers and couldn't hold back another sob, muffled by the goose feather stuffed comforter beneath her. The dread was tangible, twisting up inside. Her whole being belonged to everyone but her. The only bits she had were her own heart and soul, trapped inside this horrible prison. She wanted to shed it off, but every shiver reminded her how impossible it was to crawl out of her body. She couldn't claw her way out no matter how hard she tried. She raked her fingers through her hair and screamed in rage and fear.

She wanted out. Out of this tiny pond built for a pathetic minnow.

* * *

Another attempt at knocking on the door, and silence followed.

Sora prodded at a wrinkle in the rug with the toe of his boot, clearly hesitating about what to declare towards the stern, cold doors keeping him barred from entry. Riku knew that look on his face fairly well. It was that same look he got when he was tending to another one of his many befriended stray pets. Protective, concerned and a tad regretful there wasn't more that could be done to help.

"Are you sure you didn't need anything? We'll be out here if you ever want to talk, okay?"

The soft thunk of something, a pillow or stuffed animal maybe, being hurled against the other side of the door was more than enough of an answer.

No doubt Sora wanted to charge right into that room and whisk her away from this whole mess. But he couldn't. And now he was stuck having to sit there and watch, infuriated and helpless. All because he had given his heart to the wrong girl.

Riku put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Better to just let her be for now."

Rather than be comforted, he slumped forlornly against the cold and ruthlessly stiff wood of the locked bedroom door of the princess. Turning his head slightly, his eyes desperately called out, silently pleading for help with a problem both of them knew neither of them could solve.

"...I don't know what to do."

Sora had definitely mastered the art of the puppy dog face, but there was not much that Riku felt he could interject without sounding overly insensitive.

He tried the best he could.

"Is that because what you want to do is something you shouldn't?"

Of course that was it. Was there any question? Sora had already fallen and fallen hard for her. But not even the sternest reprimand in the world was going to change that.

" _Please_ don't tell me you told me so. I know. I know already."

"That's not what I was going to say."

Lowering his own voice to just over a whisper so there was no way he could be overheard, he asked the biggest question still nagging at him.

"Considering..." Riku glanced in the direction of the bedroom. No sound. Stillness. "...Considering _everything_ , do you think you'll still be able to support her through this and come out alright? That's what is most important right now."

"Of course I will! It's not-"

Riku held up his hand to hush his friend's spirited outburst and Sora sheepishly tried to correct his volume.

"It's not about that. I know already at the end of the day I have about...zero chance of ever being anyone important in her life and that's...that's fine." His eyes also flicked back hesitantly towards the silent doors and he sagged again, clearly wishing he could do more that just stare at them from the outside.

Riku had to struggle not to say anything. Any comment, or easy quip about him being _far_ more than zero in her eyes would be better off unsaid, so he let Sora continue.

"She deserves to be happy. If she is happiest getting married to some duke or whatever then, honestly, I won't complain about it. Even if it hurts I'll do whatever I can to support her."

Riku knew Sora was as sappy as maple toffee, but there was no doubting he meant every single word of his mini soliloquy.

"I'm not doubting your resolve, just the potential consequences. At least we can be grateful the King was...understanding enough to give her the slightest bit of agency during this whole debacle."

Being able to choose from the preselected final six contenders for the crown, one from each Garden, wasn't a fantastic positive; and it wasn't much comfort to her, obviously. Otherwise she wouldn't have sequestered herself in her room and refused any visitors for the last hour. Sora also didn't seem...particularly thrilled about this outcome, and Riku practically had to drag him out of the receiving room kicking and shouting. Sora wasn't one for yelling obscenities so his anger sometimes came across as a bit childish to some, creatively bizarre to others, but Riku was well-versed enough in his vocabulary to know that him calling someone a 'sour pickle' was not meant to be a compliment. And whether it was understood or not, it definitely wasn't a good thing to shout out at the king. It's a miracle they didn't reprimand him for that outburst.

What a farce.

And innocents were going to suffer for it.

Both of them hunkered down silently in the hall outside her room, the ultimate picturesque representations of 'glum'. Every now and again Sora would eagerly glance over towards where she had disappeared, as if he was half expecting her to emerge again. Each time he was left disappointed.

No response. Not even a pillow.

Riku could tell his friend was getting steadily more frustrated the more he had to remain stuck, helpless. While he was all for teaching his friend a bit more on the benefits of patience, now wasn't the time for chiding him.

Finally reaching the end of his rope, Sora started pacing around in small jittery circles.

"Maybe...maybe I should just tell her abo-"

"Don't do anything rash."

He halted marching immediately.

"But what if I'm right? Then she wouldn't have to...what if that's what that witch lady-"

"And if you're wrong? There's a _reason_ you haven't mentioned it earlier, remember?"

"I know..."

That was the face of someone who wasn't completely convinced, but was feeling backed into a corner. And if Sora wasn't completely convinced against it, he was bound to do something utterly reckless. Riku crossed his arms and tried a slightly less stern tone, just in case it helped.

"Let's just wait and see how this situation works itself out first, alright? If she still seems unhappy after tomorrow, we can weigh the options again then."

"I...I dunno..."

"We can still hope there's at least one among the six suitors that she feels is acceptable."

Sora looked like he had just eaten something bitter. " _Acceptable_ isn't good enough! I'm gonna give every single one of those guys the toughest inspection of their lives! Anything fishy and I'll-"

"You'll do what, exactly?" A very soft voice, half marred by sniffles remaining from an undoubted deluge of past tears, murmured out from behind the tiniest sliver of open door.

Gasping, Sora bolted towards the opening, trying to peek through the small gap at the princess cowering behind it.

"Are you oka-" He cut himself off, looking a bit sheepish. Everyone already knew the answer to his question was a resounding 'no'. Shaking his head, he tried to rephrase. "How are you feeling? I'm not sure if you heard me before but if you need anything I'll-"

"I heard you." Her voice was scratchy, slightly hoarse. "And I am feeling...well...right now I just am."

Sora gingerly reached out and touched the wood of the door on the exact opposite side of where she was leaning. Panicked at his movement, or because she wasn't ready for anyone to see her, she shoved on the door as she recoiled, accidentally slamming it shut. Sora took the hint and backed away.

It took her a moment to return and uneasily peek back out into the hall, still covering most of her face with the side of the door. The other half of her face was obscured by the tussled locks of hair she had left draped across it, leaving her expression particularly difficult to read.

Despite all these attempts at hiding, it was obvious she was trembling and her color was much more pale than normal.

"I'm sorry about that...I'm still a little..."

"Don't worry about it, take as much time as you need."

The corridor fell silent among the three of them, the only sounds coming from the last minute preparations being carried out to clean and spruce up the castle for the incoming visitors. The voices of the gardeners and cleaners echoed through the halls like ghosts, never letting them forget what tomorrow would bring.

Kairielis wrapped her fingers around the outside edge of her door. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping a bit, but..."

Riku mentally rewound through his previous conversation with Sora. He wasn't quite sure when she had started listening in. As far as he could recall, they hadn't said anything too...incriminating, but depending on what she heard she might be a bit suspicious. Sora was fidgeting in the corner, maybe because he wasn't sure himself what she had overheard.

He mentally shrugged. Not much he could do about it now. Better to play it safe and not volunteer any extra information that it wasn't clear she already knew.

"We were the ones talking right outside your door, I don't think you overhearing should really be considered eavesdropping."

With any luck she would bring it up any issues herself.

"I suppose…but maybe I heard something I wasn't meant to."

Sora gulped. "Y-you think?"

"I feel a little guilty locking the two of you out. I should've known you would both want to help me through this, even if that makes you somewhat...partial."

"Of course!"

Lacking all sense of decorum, like usual, Sora just outright admitted he was breaking the rules. But at least his daily clumsiness always managed to put a smile on her face. Even today, the shiest little smile barely peeked its way out from under her messy strands of hair, but quickly retreated.

"I'm...ashamed to say so, but I don't know if I can do this alone."

No way out at this point. There was no way Sora was turning down big doe eyes like that.

"You aren't alone! Not ever!"

Yep, there it was.

But Riku couldn't say he disagreed. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that he had to be the backbone between the two of them to actually follow the guidelines, in this particular case he knew no one should have to be forced into the type of windstorm the princess had been so roughly hurled into without warning. Even the most stalwart of hearts would likely need a hand of support to guide them down a path this bleak. This whole mess was so incredibly wrong. All of them knew it, but they could only cope the best they could.

At the end of the day, what was most important weren't the rules specifically, but the intentions behind them. And at this point only someone heartless or willfully ignorant would think it in her best benefit to stand alone staring at this incoming storm.

"If you need help and can't see us on the horizon, it's because we are already right behind you."

Sora's eyes widened at him for a moment before he laughed. "Is that why you are quiet all the time? You are sitting there thinking up these tough guy catchphrases?"

"Like I've said before: _one_ of us has to be eloquent."

And as hard as it must have been for her, at least now the princess was smiling once more.

* * *

Ienzo bent over the stack of tomes, poring over the labels and bookmarks in growing frustration. He had quite a lot of pride in his organizational skills, so to find the records of such an influential time without a proper filing system was appalling to say the least. How was anyone supposed to look up anything in that shamble of an index? Surely this disorderly mess hadn't been his doing. His predecessor was a shrewd man, so he was hesitant to lay the finger of blame in his direction either, but there didn't seem to be any other reason for the records of the young princess to be so...misplaced.

Something was not right here, that much was clear.

The princess had been quite adamant in her debate with the King that her engagement ought to be postponed until after the threat of that raven toting sorceress had been fully investigated. Something about a warning. Something about her lost memories being the key to saving the kingdom. Yet the King had been equally as adamant that any "lost memories" were not a thing to be concerned over, and the kingdom was doing fine other than just needing a bit of rain. All that mattered was producing an heir now that her body was likely mature enough to survive the strain of the Light Bonding process. All that was necessary was having a...back-up option, of sorts, should anyone try to harm her again.

This didn't go over very well with the princess, or that rambunctious guard of hers who had been bristling like a porcupine the minute they had gotten into the room. Most of the rest of the discussions quickly devolved into threats, tears, and from what he heard mumbled from over in the corner, absolutely dumbfounding childish insults towards the King's character, if they could even be considered insults. That boy was an utter mystery.

However, the warnings about her memory still stuck out as particularly interesting. Suffice it to say, curiosity got the better of him and Ienzo now found himself desperately searching for pages of history that had, for lack of a better word, vanished.

Darkfall had been meticulously chronicled, sorted, filed. Each chapter bookmarked and labeled to the utmost accuracy. Yet for the young Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla, her history had a whole swath simply missing and unaccounted for, just like in her own memory. Where could it have been misplaced?

In this encyclopedia? Empty. That tome there? No mention. Even this book, with everything squared away in pristine condition with the neatest cursive scrawl? Completely purged.

This must be something sinister indeed. Surely if the princess couldn't remember it, _someone_ would want that information available should it be pertinent for something. Much like the situation right now.

Nothing but dangerous content could have warranted this level of redaction and cover up.

After searching fruitlessly for hours, he finally unearthed a ratty snippet of parchment that, by its slightly tart mildew smell, must have been dated to around the events of Darkfall. What he found within wasn't exactly helpful, but it was more than nothing. Whole lines of text, blotted out with pots of ink, obscuring anything written beneath. Even the tightest scrutiny of the pages only revealed two words not as severely darkened, scratched hastily in the margins.

Project Ellone.

Ienzo burned them into his memory, and buried the pages once more in a dark pigeonhole. He had no idea what those words could mean, but he had a vague notion that Even might have some knowledge on the matter. The real question was, if such a thing was truly worth pursuing.

If he dared, he would have to proceed very, very carefully.

For at a time when nothing seemed right, this was the most unsettling thing of all.

* * *

There was only one, it seemed, within the whole kingdom who found such a disconcerting aura saturating the air to be a welcome break from monotony. She watched out from the window of her unobtrusive cottage in the woods, a twisted smile on her pale face as she toyed with a woman's broach in the shape of a sparrow, letting it flutter between her fingers.

"It won't be long now, my dear. Soon you'll be able to fly back home."

The raven next to her cocked his head and cawed in confusion, unsure if she was talking to him, or to the sparkly object in her hands.

Her preparations were almost complete. Every player already well on their way dancing into position, leading to an inevitable checkmate. That which had been long buried was going to bury them, she was almost sure of it. The only thing she couldn't be sure of was that pesky cockroach who had defied her thrice over now.

But no matter. Her seeds had still taken root elsewhere despite his silly little attempts at interference. When one has an eternity, one learns to adapt.

And whatever move they make, she will be ready.

"Diablo, the one that we caught claiming this trinket for himself...I feel if given the right motivation he could be quite invaluable. Bring him to me."

She extended the elegant pin out towards the bird who snatched it up into his talons without hesitation. He then rustled his wings eagerly and took off out the cottage window, soaring out towards the castle.

She watched her bird go for only a moment, her sneer returning. In this grand ongoing game of chess, everyone was so focused on the kings and queens, castles and bishops that perhaps they wouldn't even notice a knight being traded for a pawn.


	10. Ch 10: It Might Have Been

Rain showered down across the dirtied cobblestone streets. The downpour was so harsh that it was even kicking up pebbles and flinging them up into the air where they clanged against the scattered remnants of armor so splattered with muck their forms were almost unidentifiable. Maybe it was best they were a bit obscured. Some of the suits of armor were not empty.

Nothing stirred, nothing ventured outside as the storm raged on, washing the blood and grime down into the gutters. So nothing saw the two children huddling, soaking wet, under the half collapsed roof. It was all that remained of a former house blackened with singe marks from the conflagration only recently doused by the weather.

A boy and a girl, both no older than five, struggled to keep each other warm and awake through the freezing dusk hours. And from the other side of the road, Kairielis only just became aware of herself spectating. Like a ghost, she was watching a play unfold in front of her of events that seemed both hauntingly real yet too distorted and illusory to actually be true. It was also vaguely familiar, as if someone had once whispered to her the script of their performance in the past, a lifetime ago.

The two innocent children looked so fragile, their tiny limbs bearing more bruises than not, their clothes tattered and soaked. The little girl was trembling, though not from the cold alone. Neither of those kids really belonged in a place like this, but the girl seemed to particularly stand out. She was like a domesticated pure-bred house cat that had just been hurled into an ice cold river and was struggling to keep her head afloat in the abrasive wilderness. The boy, in contrast, looked a bit more comfortable in the elements. But only slightly. He was maybe more akin to a young wild dog, curiously sniffing out the situation. Less jumpy at the natural elements of his home, but still staring wide-eyed, equal parts terrified and curious at the nature of a society he had stumbled upon, collapsing around him, and whose rules eluded him. Both scared in their own way, and having to rely on each other to weather the storm. Civilization and the wilderness, forced to meet, but appreciating the comfort of one another through such chaos.

Kairielis tipped her head to the side. She had never met these children before. Maybe it was presumptuous of her to assume so much over nothing more than their appearances and basic demeanor. For all she knew they could be siblings. Kairielis tried calling over to the two children, offering help. When they didn't react, she waved her arm back and forth in a grand sweeping arc. Again, no response. Maybe they couldn't see her through the downpour or hear her shouting from over the sound of the splashing rain.

Why were they even out here in this horrid place of death?

...Why was she?

She tried not to gaze too long at the formless shapes half submerged in the sticky mud nearby.

Where even _is_...here?

A clap of thunder rocked through the clouds and the girl of the young pair shrieked, clutching at her scuffed knees as if scrunching up her body would somehow shield her from the noise.

Kairielis shifted to step towards the lost children, but her feet were stuck fast in the mud. When had the sludge gotten so deep? Surprisingly, it didn't feel cold around her ankles.

It didn't feel like much of anything.

It was then Kairielis realized the rain didn't feel cold either. Surely she should be soaking wet from the storm by now? She wasn't under any cover. Maybe she really was a ghost.

Growing ever more concerned over them, she strained to see through the tempest ahead. The children were talking. About what, she couldn't hear. For about how long, she wasn't sure either. Time itself was hazy, shifting.

Then, through the blurry curtain of rain, she could barely make out the figure of the boy pointing up to a small patch of sky somewhere in the distance behind her. An inexplicable smile was spreading on his face. The little girl who was still cuddled up next to him followed the path of his finger, spotting...whatever it was. Kairielis tried turning around to see, but her body was rooted in place even more firmly.

Whatever was there must have been something special. The little girl was hastily drying the tears from her eyes with a ragged section of her dress, desperate to get a clearer look. Her friend cupped his little hand around hers, and together the two children began shouting unintelligibly against the squall as if triumphant over something, their faces brightened with hope. Still drenched; but no longer drenched by fear.

From up in a tree nearby she could hear a crow, angrily cawing away. She couldn't see him, but she could hear his protests loud and clear.

Something bad was lingering here and she wanted to leave before it saw her. She _needed_ to leave.

The cawing grew louder.

She could hear the squishing of boots marching through muck as they drew closer. Why weren't her feet listening? She could hear a man grunting, hawking and spitting something disgusting into the already disgusting road. His guffaw echoed through her head, wheezing and spluttering like a pig.

She hoped the children would run. They needed to escape.

If they didn't run they would surely be caught by whatever was approaching up that road.

What were they smiling at!? What could possibly be so wonderful up in the sky that it could distract them from such horrible dark visions in every other corner of this place!?

Leave! Escape! Keep each other close and run! Flee so you can be free, together! Together... forever...

...please…

* * *

Kairielis woke up screaming.

Every night, the dreams were only getting worse. Not that she expected anything good in her dreams on a night before a day like today.

She got ready for the morning in a hurry, making a point to check out the window just to be sure. The rainstorm in her dreams had been just that. A dream. Outside was just as hot, dry and unforgiving as it had been this whole summer. The ground looking cracked and worn in places where the very moisture was being sucked up greedily by the sun.

Returning to a seat in front of her vanity, she gently grasped a worn wooden hairbrush and passed it a few times through her hair. No doubt before the suitors arrived they were going to stuff her into those gaudy clothes with her hair twisted and styled until she no longer even resembled herself. So there wasn't much point in even using the brush right now, but she still felt like doing it anyway. Just like how she felt like putting on her favorite pink summer dress and her tiny little seashell necklace.

Some staff at the castle had expressed their distaste for this dress in the past, saying the skirt was far too short, or that it hugged her waist far too tightly. The complaints were varied, but all agreed that it wasn't 'proper' for a princess. But she made sure to always tuck it away in a safe corner so it couldn't be ferreted away while she wasn't looking.

If these early morning hours were to be the last time she could feel free before being forced into something overly restrictive and smelling of mothballs, she was going to wear whatever she darn well pleased and no one was going to say otherwise. So what if she had to get changed later?

It was worth it, even if it was only for a short time.

It was also worth seeing the look on Sora's face when she came prancing out to greet him while wearing it.

Hearing her approach, he had jumped down off of the railing he had been perched on and raised his hand in a chipper hello.

"Good morning Ka-"

He froze.

"You're...uh..." Sora couldn't stop staring, but he was trying his best. And failing. "Y-you look...uh..."

She had a feeling he would approve of this dress in particular. Even though she knew she really shouldn't be seeking out approval from a boy, and definitely wasn't supposed to put much weight on the opinion of a knight, seeing him so...dumbfounded still felt _fantastic_.

"...more cheerful than expected." Riku decided to finally complete the unfinished sentence hovering in the air.

She really did feel surprisingly good, all things considered. Maybe it was just her brain trying to cope with all the stress and she had finally just snapped. Or maybe Sora's general optimism was rubbing off on her.

Either way she had done quite a lot of thinking last night. If this was to be her fate, she was going to raise her chin and face it without any more tears. But that didn't mean she was going down without getting a few things her way.

"I have a plan."

At least Sora seemed excited about her declaration. Riku, as she expected, appeared to be withholding judgment until he knew what was going on.

"Care to share, or is it classified?"

She giggled and pressed a finger to her lips.

"We both know that one of us three can't keep a secret." Without pause, she started off towards the temple to finish her morning ritual, smiling inwardly at the cute little protesting sigh she heard behind her.

"Besides, maybe it'll be more effective with the element of surprise! Right?"

There was no guarantee it would even work, but it was worth a try.

As they approached the temple, she noticed there were a few extra knights milling aimlessly about in the gardens outside the entrance. One in particular caught Sora's attention and, with a huge grin, he darted over to the one who was scowling heavily under dirtied blond hair.

"Hey! You're okay! They said you weren't too hurt but I got worried after I didn't see you at the-"

The other knight shoved him back, almost as if Sora was infected with something contagious.

"Get off! As if I want you fretting over me like some lovesick girl."

Sora didn't seem bothered or surprised at all by the venom, and while he acquiesced to the command spat at him and backed up a few steps, he kept smiling.

"I heard you gave that witch a hard time, too. She was so impressed she even mentioned it. You must have been a good distraction."

The other knight squinted at him suspiciously while massaging the knuckles on his left hand. "You'd better not be getting sarcastic with me."

"No, I-"

"If you are, I won't hesitate to teach you some proper manners when you are less...occupied." His eyes briefly flickered over to where she stood, but he made no move to greet her. Focusing back on Sora he rolled his shoulders, as if preparing for a fight. "That witch stole something of mine, and I could use a punching bag right about now."

If he wasn't going to, she decided to acknowledge herself.

"I see you two are acquaintances?" She took several purposeful steps forwards. Sora nodded cheerily back at her, but the other faltered a moment before giving her a stilted bow.

Kairielis monitored his lowered head closely. Normally she disliked forcing others into shows of servitude, but after he threatened Sora she felt like she was allowed to be a tad petty. Everything about him screamed that he had an ego like an over sized banana: ridiculous, hard to ignore, and easily bruised. Maybe he could use a little dose of humility medicine. She waited a full three seconds before finally offering him the command to rise.

"Thank you for your efforts in expelling that dreadful sorceress from the castle. We all appreciate your assistance."

He clearly hated being called an assistant, but it wasn't like he could talk back to her. Yet continued petty jabs at him weren't her intention. She needed him to calm down so he would stop giving Sora that death stare. Luckily she had experience handling cumbersome egos; she had met far too many pompous aristocrats in her life.

They all tried so hard to be tough and hardened, as if that was some testament to manhood. Boys were sometimes strange like that; but she wasn't intimidated. To make him melt, she just had to butter him up first.

"I don't know what that witch was after, but I owe my life to your combined strength. For that reason alone, your presence was invaluable. Thank you for keeping our kingdom safe."

Oh, he definitely liked that comment. He was folding under her like she was the wind and he was a poorly built card castle.

"Please continue to be a wonderful team and do your best. If you are all working together I should have nothing to fear."

The knight ogled her and nodded, stunned out of words.

Good. Hopefully now he won't be trying to pick some inane fist fight over nothing. Kairielis wasn't sure why Sora considered someone so abrasive to be a friend, but hopefully he was only a little rough around the edges.

Or maybe boys really are just strange.

It took him a moment to recover from her fawning compliments, before he tried re-erecting his tough guy veneer from before, shaking the stunned embarrassment from his face and replacing it with a scowl.

"I see. Whatever is for the greater good, correct?"

Kairielis chewed at her lip for a moment, planning her words carefully. "Yes I...I think that sounds reasonable."

She wasn't quite sure how to read his expression. He certainly had quite a lot of pride, and was probably the type of person to agree to your face, but if what you ordered wasn't in line with his own agenda would be quick to defy it. In the end she wasn't sure if she got through to him.

Unfortunately, not a soul in the courtyard, not even the princess or her astute knights noticed the raven spying from the darkness of a nearby hollowed out tree, waiting for his target to wander off somewhere alone. It clutched the broach in the shape of a swallow tighter in its talons, and waited some more.

Perhaps, if the princess had but noticed, she could have altered the inevitable course of fate that wound them all together.

But she didn't.

* * *

"Introducing...from the tropical paradise of Balamb, the son of the honored Royal Treasurer, hailed as a shrewd master of finances, and is known as the Silver Tongue...Sir Victor Delgado."

The first of the line of suitors strode confidently forward across the courtyard towards her throne. He had impeccably combed dark hair with his thick, pointed eyebrows and goatee that only further highlighted the sharp lines in his jaw and cheeks. While he certainly did seem suave and nuanced in his motions, he also seemed a tad...older. Surely too old? He lifted one sharp eyebrow in her direction and smiled, sinking into a deep bow.

"From the vast oceans of the kingdom, I bring my equally vast experience. Name me as your beloved and I will make the kingdom wealthier than ever could be imagined! This I vow!"

He rose and took his place under the first of six colorful banners erected in a line, each representing a different garden. Balamb Garden's flag was the color of the ocean and was marked with yellow stars.

She couldn't fault him on his passion, but he must have been nearly twice her age. Kairielis was now starting to question what sort of standards these candidates were even being held up to. Hopefully it was more than whoever had the biggest pocketbook.

The announcer, seeing the central stone platform in the courtyard empty once more, opened his parchment and began reading off the second name.

"Introducing...from the snow-tipped mountains of Trabia, he is the son of the Royal Judge, and holds the rank of Captain among the Task Judicial Force where he is known for his swift and poetic justice...Captain Phoebus Gringoire!"

This man was certainly a character. He strode forward with all the confidence of someone who had never seen defeat in his life. His blonde hair hanging a bit on the longer side, swept back and away from his face. Phoebus gave her an exaggerated bow, flicking his face up to her at the last minute to give her what she was sure he considered a very suave smile. The Task Judicial Force was a silly title given to, essentially, glorified tax collectors. But if the title made them happy…

She just felt like rolling her eyes at the excessive posturing, but gave him a polite nod instead.

"They say our Garden is a frigid place, but your smile could thaw even the most icy heart, my princess. Name me as your beloved and I will make sure your life is always full of warmth and beauty. This I vow!"

He read his script perfectly, at least. Though she wasn't entirely sure how sincere that promise really was. He didn't seem like a bad person, but maybe a bit too smug for her tastes. He also had a strange aura of...dishonesty about him, though, which she couldn't quite understand. It was like he was intentionally putting on some kind of over the top act. His nervous eyes belied a far different feeling than his fake smile. Phoebus sauntered over to the flag of Trabia, colored white with a red rose in the very center and nodded over to Victor. The other suitor pinched his lips into a tight line and said nothing.

Ruffling the parchment a third time, the announcer readied himself for the next declaration.

"Introducing...from the towering vertical gardens and waterfalls of Ru'Lude, a suitor from a long line of strategists and advisers, one who has claimed to have ascended the Cliffs of Insanity using only his bare hands..."

Kairielis sat up a little in her chair. The Cliffs of Insanity? What kind of person was this going to be, some kind of hulking beast of upper body strength?

"...Wee Dingwall, the eldest child of the Dingwall clan!"

Wobbling out from the shadows of the entrance was a straggly, stringy thing. She wasn't sure if he could even hold himself up, let alone scale a cliff face with the power of his knuckles alone. His hair was frizzy and shot straight up towards the sky, as if his head had been replaced with a broom. His teeth were misaligned, and his eyes seemed entirely unfocused, in a constant state of daydream. Neither Victor nor Phoebus could hide their snickering.

The Dingwall's son mumbled something indistinct to her that at some point might have contained the words 'beloved' and 'vow', then shuffled, stumbling, over towards the flag of Ru'Lude. This flag was colored moss green with a swirling vertical line up both edges that likely represented the rising falls. Judging by the looks on the other two suitors by their own flags, Dingwall didn't have all too pleasant an odor to him either.

There was a brief silence hanging through the air and she wished more than anything she could turn back around to face her two knights and see what they thought about all of this so far. But maybe it was better that she not think about Sora right now.

It was clear that the hot-headed knight they had been speaking to at the temple this morning had been right when he said that the suitors coming today were...on the stranger side. What had he said exactly?

..."some of those bozos are real pieces of work"... or something along those lines.

A bit crass, but not altogether incorrect now that she was looking at them herself.

The announcer, unfazed, began to read the next name aloud, snapping her from her daydream of earlier that day.

"Introducing...from Enchanted Garden, a-"

"I'll take it from here myself, if you don't mind!"

A figure marched himself out of the shadows, chest puffed out high like a strutting pigeon, his broad shoulders and bulging muscular tone a clear source of pride. He gestured over towards the sniffling form of Dingwall, and winked.

" _This,_ my boy, is how you win over a princess."

Ripping off his cape he began flexing, grunting as he offered his biceps up for her approval. He strained, and winked. Gods, even his _laugh_ sounded like he was boasting about something. She dug her nails into the arms of her chair, trying not to visibly recoil.

From the slight choking sounds she heard behind her, either Sora, Riku, or both were trying incredibly hard to hold in their own laughter.

She was glad at someone was able to find the situation amusing.

 _That does it._ She resolved to herself firmly. _They're done. Every single one on that Noble Committee who picked these 'candidates' is fired. Immediately. I don't care if I'm not even allowed to do that. It's happening._

"You ought to end the competition now, for a competition it is not! I, Gaston LeGume, will be winning the hand of the fair princess today! No one bests Gaston! And when you choose me, princess, that is exactly what you will receive. Me!"

In her whole life she had never been so thankful to see someone's back as he finally decided to stop posturing in front of her and meander confidently over towards Enchanted's flag. This one was the deep red color of wine with a circle of intersecting silver rings in the center.

Surely the remaining two options couldn't be any worse than this display. Who could think that these men were really the best options for King? Granted, she was going to be the one in control, with her husband retained as a figurehead of sorts but _honestly_.

Thankfully, she was pleasantly relieved when the suitor from Galbadia was called out next by the somewhat shaken announcer who had only just recovered from the previously boisterous interruption.

His name was Hans Westergaard, and by all accounts he seemed refreshingly normal. Nothing particularly special; a touch nervous, but bright eyed, well-dressed, and properly disciplined. She wasn't sure if she liked the whole side burn look, but it did compliment his somewhat longer chin.

After his various titles were recited, he knelt down in front of her, keeping his head bowed. "I have traveled far from Galbadia Garden, but even if I am not chosen today, I will be forever enriched by the experience of seeing many parts of our kingdom that were previously unknown to me. For that, I thank you." He paused for a moment. "Name me as your beloved and I will stay by your side through any trial, and any new adventure. This I vow."

Well, he seemed nice. But under all the formal niceties she still wasn't sure what sort of person lay beneath. She had a feeling there was a lot more buried there.

She felt a heavy silence from the two knights behind her, and hoped it was because they were concentrating, trying to analyze him for faults.

The final candidate was some lord with a very prominent nose and wispy mustache from Faline Garden named Howard Baskerville, Jr. He vowed to 'always keep her safe from any unruly animals that lurked in the uncivilized backwaters'. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him, because he seemed far more excited to be in the castle than to be meeting her. He had spent a long time praising the lack of wilderness, nearly kissing the cobblestones when he bowed. Despite his home being famous for its forests and wildflowers, it didn't seem like he appreciated it very much. It would be a bit nit-picky to dismiss him because of a preference for town life, but for a girl who considered flowers a passionate hobby it was a bit hard to overlook.

Now that all six had been presented to her, the announcer rolled up his parchment, cleared his throat and declared his final statement.

"And now, under the watchful eyes of His Highness, the current records keeper, castle staff and the noble lords serving on the selection Committee...a future King must be chosen. Your Highness, Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla, Princess of the Seven Gardens, Duchess of the Floating Isles and Bearer of the Light Refraction...we await your decision. Please point to the one whom you wish to give your heart!"

And all eyes were on her. She closed her own, taking a deep breath of the humid air. The only sound she heard was the fluttering of the flags from the different gardens, and every now and again the sound of someone clearing their throat or coughing.

She knew she was meant to be considering her options, but she had something else in mind. No one, not even her father, could force her to choose her potential husband like this: at random, without knowing a single thing about any one of them. After some soul searching last night, she had decided that the most successful marriage would be between two people who could understand one another. And, perhaps selfishly, she wanted a husband who could, in some way, understand what was in her heart.

Opening her eyes, she noticed Sora was shifting his weight back and forth between his feet, looking like he wanted to say something. Most likely various protests were bubbling around inside of him, making him unsteady.

"I'll be okay." She gave him what she hoped was a comforting smile and rose from her chair.

The first few steps forward were uneasy, but her confidence grew with each stride. She stepped over the edge of the stone patio and strolled, determined, up to the central stone platform in the courtyard. Right in the middle where she was under the watchful eyes of all the nobles in their balconies, all the suitors under the waving banners of their home Gardens, and her father. The later was the only one that interested her right now. She locked eyes with the king, straightened, and took a deep breath.

"There are many worries currently plaguing our kingdom. The drought, and the unsure state of the future to name but a few. It is clear our kingdom is in a state of peril."

She paused for a moment, gauging the reaction of her father and Ienzo who stood next to him, transcribing her words carefully into one of his large tomes. If her father was upset, he didn't show it. So she continued, gripping the sides of her dress to hold back the shaking in her hands.

"As such, in accordance with the old laws, I hereby declare...an Adventurer's Trial. Just as in the past, the reward will be the same: the hand of the princess in exchange for the successful completion of a trial, requested of an adventurer in a time of dire need."

Silence. She had expected more of a reaction to a statement like this, and she faltered. Perhaps everyone was too stunned. That, or they had no idea what she was even talking about.

It was an old tradition written about in faerie tales. A lone adventurer happens upon an ailing kingdom, and in desperation, the royal family decrees that if help can be given, they will offer the princess in marriage. Granted, this wasn't often proposed by the princess herself, but she didn't see any rule that said she _couldn't_.

"S-summarily...I declare that whomsoever can provide the most satisfactory solution to my requested task, will be the one I will choose to give my heart."

The entire Committee of Nobles erupted into a senseless cacophony of shouting and arguments. Most voices she could parse seemed to be debating if the kingdom could even be considered to be in a state of emergency enough to allow such a measure to be enacted. It was only put into practice when the kingdom was truly desperate, and had only ever been used once before in all of recorded history. Some of the suitors in the courtyard below also began to simmer like boiling water. All except Hans who was waiting, puzzled, and Dingwall, who was staring blank-faced at the flags whipping around the poles in the breeze.

From her place at the center of the courtyard, she could hear her potential suitors bickering among themselves, and eavesdropped as best she could.

The suitor from Trabia, the one named Phoebus, seemed more amused than upset. He extended his arms and glanced about at the others surrounding him. "Show of hands lads; who saw that one coming?"

Victor, the older gentleman from Balamb, grumbled something indistinct and crossed his arms, appearing the most angry out of the six. "There's always a catch..."

Laying a faux sympathetic hand on his shoulder, the muscle head named Gaston chuckled.

"No shame in throwing in the towel, old boy."

"Oh, I agree. You're welcome to go any time." Victor gestured towards the far door under the stone archway they had all just stepped through.

Exhaling sharply, Phoebus watched the exchange with an amused grin. The mere suggestion of leaving didn't seem to sit well with Howard, the representative of Faline who stamped his boot onto the cobblestones and huffed.

"Well I'm not going anywhere! If any of you ruffians think you can rob me of my chance, you are sorely mistaken!"

" _Your_ chance?" Victor was clearly still angry. "What makes you think you even have the tiniest sliver of one to begin with?"

"I agree!" Gaston trumpeted even more loudly than before. "For we all already know who will perfectly complete any task she has to offer. Me! I'll be generous and send you all off with a fruit basket."

"I can't decide if you're serious." Phoebus was glancing over at Gaston, almost in awe at his sheer bravado.

Rather than letting this mess continue, the king swiftly rose up from his throne, his gaze piercing down at her from his balcony. Silence fell.

The light reflecting off of all his shimmering ornaments was like staring into the sun, and she strained to not look away. He made a gesture towards Ienzo, who leaned in to listen to some quietly worded request. The two had a short conversation, most likely debating if she was even allowed to use outdated concepts more often seen in faerie tales than real life.

The records keeper finally straightened, and called down to her, quill at the ready.

"Are we correct in understanding, then, that you wish to offer up a challenge as a means by which to select your future husband? As the old laws called it...an 'Adventurer's Trial'?"

"Yes, that is correct."

More hushed deliberations followed between her father and the scribe. Everyone, even the Nobles, remained anxiously waiting for his decision.

And, from the mouth of Ienzo she got her father's answer. After briefly penciling something in on his book, he gave a terse nod and cleared his throat.

"The motion is granted. Now, if you please, Your Highness: what is your proposed task? The King is reserving the right to reject anything that is impossible, or requested in bad faith."

Well, there went that option. She had considered making her task something as absurd as possible so no one could fulfill it, but even in the fantasy stories this tended to backfire on the quest giver quite spectacularly. And she wasn't keen on being turned into a frog or something. Instead, she had a few back-up options. She relaxed the death grip on her dress slightly and tried to calm the rapid fluttering of her heart.

"The proposed candidates must..." Here goes nothing. Deep breath. "I was told the kingdom can only be saved if I 'free my trapped memories'. Or so I was warned. So whoever can find a way to fr-"

"I forbid this." The King was staring so intensely he was almost looking right through her. "I approved a task or a trial, not a folly."

She gritted her teeth. "It is _not_ a folly. Obviously it's important, and if me remembering something can save even one person, I want to try."

"Don't be like your mother."

Her protests faded. Her legs trembled. She tried to take another step forward towards her father, but was stumbling and uncoordinated in the excessively tall heeled shoes and dragging skirt. She tripped. And she likely would have fallen flat on her face had she not been able to catch her weight on a small nearby table with a goblet of water resting on top. The surface of the water swayed and shook, and she was like a tiny boat rocking on top of that wave. How dare he say such things with that horrid disdain in his voice. How dare he speak of her mother as if she was something tainted and bad. Had he forgotten how he once loved her?

The king's icy cold voice was also as stiff as iron.

"You will name your task, but it must be something that can be completed within an hour's time. One hour from now, you will make your decision, even if your task lies unfinished. You may judge your suitors however you wish in that interim."

And with that, the king once more returned to his throne. He sat there stiffly, now stubbornly refusing to even acknowledge her presence.

She really did have no father at all, did she? And, if that was to be the way of it…she only had one option left to her.

Gripping the goblet into her hands, she steadied the shifting water inside. And with hardened eyes, she made her final declaration.

"I refuse to withdraw my plea, and will still hold in the high regard anyone who can restore my memory." She saw Ienzo about to protest, and she quickly continued in order to intercept him.

"However, if my task in this case must be limited...I propose a more manageable secondary trial. A riddle, perhaps. Anyone who wishes to have my heart must at least know what it holds dear. What do I consider the most precious? What holds more meaning to me than anything else? You will have one hour to bring it here, then I will make my decision."

One more glance at the king, remaining stoic on his throne, and she stood tall. "This is all I wish."

So it was stated. So it was granted. So it was done.

* * *

"Isn't that task going to be impossible, though?"

Sora bounced the tall unlit candelabra back and forth between his hands. It definitely didn't escape her notice that the candlestick was very similar in design to the one she had first tasked him to dispose of what felt like ages ago. But it really hadn't been that long, had it? Somehow the days with them had passed in just a flash, yet felt endless at the same time. It was like fate was screaming out to her that they had always belonged together.

Her daydreaming made her a bit slow to answer, so Riku voiced his own thoughts first.

"Presumably there isn't a set answer, it's more of a personality test to determine what _they_ think she values. They would all likely choose something similar to their own preferences."

Sora didn't buy it, and stopped tossing the candelabra, standing it back up on its feet with a light shake of his head.

"But that can't be right. There's definitely an answer. I just don't understand how someone is supposed to get one."

Alright, now she was curious.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Er...well..." He stammered a little, reaching again for the candelabra but in his nervousness accidentally misjudged the distance and bumped into it with his finger. He scrambled to catch it before it tumbled to the stone patio. Someone really needed to get rid of those fire hazards.

"No, please. Go on. What would you bring?"

Honestly, Riku had been spot on before. There _was_ no answer. She was just going to judge based on whatever it was that these strange suitors dredged up, resolving herself to go with whoever selected the most reasonable thing. The thought of Sora's answer particularly interested her, especially if he considered it to be something unobtainable.

Sora wordlessly pleaded for help from his friend, but Riku shrugged. He was astute enough to know that Sora had dug his own grave. Again. And Riku didn't want to get dragged down into the hole.

Realizing he had to deal with this on his own, Sora sighed and tugged nervously at a strap on his tunic. "It's supposed to be something you think is precious, right?"

She nodded, and Sora glanced momentarily around just to be sure no one else was listening in. A bit pointless; none of the suitors from before were in the courtyard, as they had all bolted off to try and gather up her desired item and return within the hour. Anyone else still sitting in the balconies with the Nobles would be too far to possibly eavesdrop.

"Okay, well..." He lowered his voice to a whisper, taking his secret seriously. "If I could, I would bring you a rainbow."

"A rainb-"

The faint image of her dream flashed before her eyes, illuminated by a phantom lightning strike. She could hear the thunder faintly pealing, as the storm in her minds eye raged on. There was a faint gap between the clouds, gazed upon by two children huddled beneath the downpour in the midst of charred ruins.

Two children, in a hopeless place, smiling at a rainbow. The colored light was twinkling as it barely pierced the dim grime coating the streets.

So that was what they had found in the sky...

Were those children more than just a dream? It felt all too real...

Sora attributed her shock as uncertainty and he repeated himself, more clearly this time.

"Yeah, a rainbow. Though like I said, I wasn't really sure how anyone was supposed to get one and bring it here."

She shook her head to try and clear it. "Why...something like that?"

He tipped side to side for a moment as he organized his thoughts, mimicking the previous motion of the candlestick he had been playing with earlier. "Well..."

Through the intermittent thunder, she could hear a young boy's voice cheerfully trying to speak up over the din. The sound of rain nearly drowning him out.

 _"_ _I don't kno_ _w where they_ _come from_ _._ _But sometimes when it's raining suuuper hard you can find one. It's like the sky says 'Hey, don't cry! Here's a smile!'._ _So please don't cry._ _You can't_ _see_ _rainbows_ _too good_ _if you're crying_ _…"_

She froze, rattled. The heat of the summer sun bore down on her from above, feeling more oppressively hot than before, even through the shade. There was no rain. Had Sora just been talking to her? She missed what he had said completely.

"I...I'm sorry, what?"

It felt like a gust of wind rattled her off balance and she stumbled towards her chair.

 _"...Maybe the sky is full of rainbows all the time! Do you wanna look for one with me?"_

Somehow she didn't think that was what Sora was saying. She could vaguely hear him talking, see his mouth moving, but instead she could only hear this small child echoing in the back of her mind.

 _"_ _Let's find the light that's hiding in the dark, okay? It'll be our game together..."_

"You're playing a game…?" She pressed two shaking fingers to her temple, sinking down into her seat. It was a relief to be off her feet for a moment, and finally feeling grounded.

"Huh? No, I..."As if alarmed by her confusion, Sora hastily offered her the goblet of water again, making sure to leave plenty of space for her to grab it without worry. She took a few tentative sips, feeling the storm in her head dissipating already. A soft cat paw tapped at her leg and she glanced down to see Doc Berlioz seeking to join her up on the throne. She scooped him up and tried to relax. But still echoing through her memory was a song, recited by a group of giggling children.

 _See me dance across the sky,_

 _Full of color flying by._

 _Oooh, Oooh,_

 _Hidden often yet still true._

 _So remember little cloud,_

 _If all the light has gone,_

 _I am always here with you,_

 _Let's make a rainbow dawn._

It was like fragments of memories were slowly rising up out of her subconsciousness. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't line the fractured pieces up into anything that resembled a clear image.

"Are you…uh...?" Sora's furrowed brow spoke volumes and she tried to shake off the last haunting specters of a past she couldn't understand.

"Yes, I feel better now. What were you saying...?"

To her chagrin, Sora only seemed eager to drop the subject altogether. "It's nothing, really..."

"It's not nothing! You'd better tell me, mister, or I'll never let you live it down." For some reason this felt far more important than it really should be. Why did it matter what a knight thought about rainbows? It wasn't like he was actually participating in this wild hunt to find an object to win her affection.

"Heh. _Mister_ , huh?" He inexplicably smiled again, and she wished she could even only for a one moment peek inside that head of his to see what he was thinking.

He cleared his throat and tried to explain again. Thankfully this time she could actually focus on his words.

"Well, I would choose a rainbow because they are kind of inspiring, in a way. It's like a little reminder that there is always light that we can find, even when times are dark and stormy. You never know when there is one waiting right behind the clouds, ready to give you a smile. It makes me never want to give up, because if I hide myself away from the rain, I'll never be able to see it. Your light makes me feel...well...kinda like that, I guess." He paused, and gave a weak laugh. "I thought maybe that was the answer but...guess I was really wrong, huh?"

She watched him itch at his cheek, recognizing that he usually only did that when nervous. But with that earnest of an answer she wasn't sure what he would have to be nervous about. He could do with a little self confidence, maybe. Not as much as Gaston. But a bit could help.

"No...no, it's not that, I..."

For some reason she remembered that far off dream once more, growing ever fainter in her mind. It was such a warm rush of comfort caressing her body like a soft blanket on a cold day. She remembered how it felt to see that splash of color painted across the gray skies, filling her with hope in a world that was nothing. Hope really was a precious, irreplaceable thing; he wasn't wrong.

Berlioz purred and flicked his tail against her arm. Just next to her, she saw Riku take a sip of water from his pouch with the kind of far-off sadness she would expect to see on someone who had just been told their relative had fallen ill.

Their eyes met, briefly. And she understood.

They had both come to the same, unfortunate conclusion in this entirely hapless situation. When it came to matters of her heart, Sora was far, far from wrong.

 _That_ _is_ _the answer, isn't it? The answer to an answer-less question._

"I think I understand, and a rainbow really can be wonderful..." Newfound sorrow weighed heavily down on her heart. "But...we'll just have to see what the others can think of."

Sora bobbed his head cheerfully. "I hope one of them brings a rainbow. It'd be nice to see one today."

"I'd settle even for just a little rain..." Riku murmured, checking on the placement of the clouds. Suddenly his eyes snapped over to something out on the courtyard and he furrowed his brow.

" _Good_ afternoon, your highness."

She didn't recognize the voice, but sounded like someone had decided to pay her a visit. She turned to see the one named Phoebus confidently striding towards her, tipping his hand in an aloof greeting, a suspiciously smug grin on his face.

Maybe he was here to try and wiggle some information out of her to get an advantage in the trial. Before she could respond, Riku had already stepped out in front of her, shielding her from view.

"Can I help you?" His voice was laced with sharp little daggers, each one pointed at the intruder. It was almost sweet in a way to see him so protective.

Phoebus skidded to a halt, raising his hands defensively. Instead of addressing Riku, however, she saw his eyes soaking in the scene before him. Sora was hovering cautiously over by the side of her throne, poised like a coiled spring, while she rested deep against the backboard, stroking the ever grumpy-faced Berlioz curled on her lap. With both of her knights around, she didn't feel threatened in the slightest.

In fact, she felt quite confident.

"If you're seeking a hint of some sort, I'm not divulging a thing."

The self-proclaimed "Captain of the Judicial Force" or some other such over inflated and irrelevant title, tried to take another step forward towards her but Riku shifted positions again, effectively blocking him.

Phoebus faltered, but a cavalier smirk still spread across his face and he chuckled. "...does this guy bite?"

Kairielis hummed and gave Berlioz an affectionate scratch around the ears, lifting him up for display to the Captain. "Only those he doesn't like. And he's _very_ particular."

She added a coy smile for good measure.

Phoebus paused for a moment to glance at the fuzzy lump under her hand. "Right...the cat..." He then took an uneasy step away from Riku, who was still bearing down on him with those razor-sharp green eyes.

"You may be a guest in this castle, but you will not cross that line." Riku pointed stiffly to the natural edge that formed between the border of the courtyard and her stone patio under the awning. "I will not warn you twice."

"I gotcha, I gotcha..." He took another step backwards and surveyed the area again, no doubt astutely aware of the eyes on him. While Sora didn't appear as outwardly intimidating as his friend, there was definitely still a protective aura hovering around him and he was watching quite carefully.

Phoebus sighed, and shrugged in accepted defeat. "You're very lucky, princess. Not many can command such loyalty."

"I've never commanded anything of the sort." She huffed, offended at the insinuation.

"Exactly my point."

"Oh, and here I was worried you didn't have one." Riku retorted back testily, clearly not in the mood for his flattering banter. "Unless you have some _other_ point to make. Then please share."

"I was hoping to speak to her alone."

"Sorry, we're not going anywhere." This time, it was Sora who piped up. While not as stern, his voice was definitely not showing any signs of flexibility.

Phoebus stalled for a moment, but gave up quickly when neither Sora nor Riku were giving him any quarter at all.

"Alright, well...here it goes." A heavy sigh, and the smugness crumbled from his face entirely. "I have a favor to ask."

Riku glanced over to her to see if she had any protests. No harm in letting him ask, at least. It didn't mean she had to grant it if she didn't want to. Sora seemed also to visibly relax slightly, as if deciding maybe this man wasn't entirely up to no good.

She gave the suitor from Trabia a small nod to continue.

"To be honest, I'm only here because of my father. Nepotism at it's finest, you see. And there's...someone else in here." He touched his chest, right above his heart. "But my father and I don't exactly... _agree_ on the matter. He pitched my name to that Committee and, lucky me, I'm the one who got shipped off."

Kairielis sank further down into her chair, realizing exactly where this was going. Phoebus had been hurled into this situation just as unwillingly. He didn't want to be engaged to her. He just wanted to be free to marry the one he loved.

She already knew what favor he wanted granted, because it was the same favor she wished could be blessed upon her.

"I considered acting out to make myself as unappealing as possible, but after seeing some of those other... _options_ you have out there, I felt for you. Decided maybe it was better to just come clean and throw myself at your mercy."

"I appreciate the honesty. And...of course I understand." She gave him the tiniest smile she could muster. "Give her my regards when you return home; I wish you two every happiness."

Seeing the joy and relief on his face was worth the slight pangs of jealousy that clawed up at her. At least there would be one happy ending out of all of this.

Phoebus quickly tried to regain his composure and straightened. "The only worry I have now is what to do about your trial. I can't show up empty handed, can I?"

That certainly would stand out as a bit suspicious. For his sake it would be best for all of them to keep pretending the Captain was still in the running.

More people were now starting to return to the courtyard, as the trial hour was already drawing to a close. There wasn't much time for him to run out and grab something. But it wasn't like she really had anything on hand, either. She carefully examined the excessively gaudy dress they had stuffed her into, plucking at the lace and ribbons. Nothing at all in the pockets.

Sora, who had long since lost any semblance of hostility towards the former intruder, gestured towards her lap.

"What about him? Think he's willing to volunteer?"

Berlioz lifted a grumpy paw in Sora's direction and swiped. Giggling, she gave her protesting pet a reprimanding pat on his head.

"Come on now, Burly. We all have to do our part sometime or another." She pointed over towards Phoebus, who was staring warily at the distinctly untrimmed paws flexing on her lap. "You don't want to lose your tuna privileges, do you?"

The cat mewed testily, but eventually leapt down and slumped across the patio towards the Captain. He wrinkled his nose and gripped the cat awkwardly around the middle.

"I'll...uh...return him at the earliest convenience."

The courtyard was now bubbling, bustling with energy as the candidates began to file towards their places next to their flags, keeping their guesses to her riddle clutched close. She gave a quick nod over towards Phoebus, now struggling to babysit Doc Berlioz, as he departed towards the white Trabia flag.

Howard, with his disdain of wildlife, sneezed heavily and glanced to his left at the Captain and his prize. He took one look at the cat and winced. With one swift movement, he yanked his own flag from out of the stand, marched over to the opposite side of the courtyard and slammed it back down into the dirt as far from Phoebus as possible.

That was some deep-seated hatred of animals.

One by one, the members of the Noble Committee filed back in to their seats, looking a mix of impatient yet curious. It was almost time, then. If only this could all be over already. She almost considered just playing a round of pick-a-petal with her remaining options right then and there, but that felt far too childish now.

And who knows? Maybe one of the suitors had brought something interesting or unexpected that they thought she valued. But some part of her really doubted there could be any answer better than his...

"Hey, Kairi…?"

From next to her chair, she heard his soft whispering and her heart fluttered at hearing her name. For so long her name held such a bitter connotation, yet for some reason hearing it softly murmured from his lips was more comforting than she could have ever imagined. She knew she should correct him. This one time, though, maybe just this once it was okay. She cast Sora a long furtive glance, waiting for him to speak again.

"After what happened with that Captain guy, I was thinking..."

"Yes?"

"Before you make a decision or anything, I have to know. Do you think you can really be happy like this?"

There was no way to know for sure. It was the future, after all. The only thing she could do was take a guess at one of the doors offered to her and step through. Though maybe it was less a door and more of an imposing cliff. Her duty had walked her to the edge and now she needed to make a leap of faith and pray there was something soft beneath her to catch her fall.

"I might be. I hope I will be."

"So...did you want someone to rescue you too? I know you said you had a plan, but..."

She nearly choked, shocked he would ask such a thing. "Rescue? Sora, you should know by now that I can't run away from this. Besides, my plan was never to escape. I only wanted to find some way to get to know them even just slightly before I have to choose."

A bell chimed in the distance, signaling that she was only moments from having to do just that.

"Not running away, exactly…" He glanced, slightly flustered at the courtyard, aware that he was running out of time to ask his question properly. "I mean...what if...what if say, there was a magic spell or something that could allow you to be free. Free to be able to meet anyone you wanted, hug your friends and to not have to get married or have a kid before you're ready, all without giving up your ability to help people?"

Still stunned, she wondered why Riku was staying eerily quiet through this. With such a bizarre question she almost expected him to offer up a strong rebuke. None came. She briefly checked to see that he had his head lowered in thought as if he had mentally removed himself from the room. What was he thinking so intensely about?

Better to just answer and get this all over with.

"Of course I would love something like that, Sora, but...this isn't like a child's storybook. That sort of magic just doesn't..." Her fists clenched and opened a few times. "It doesn't exist."

"So...you would want it, though?"

She was starting to lose her patience slightly with his insistence. What was the point? She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It would be just like the storybooks, the handsome knight leaping right into the gaping maw of the beast to snatch his beloved away just in time. Her helpless situation being suddenly rectified by a true loves kiss, or some magic spell from a benevolent witch.

"Yes, if something that perfect existed."

His face was almost deathly serious, and she saw him swallow in trepidation. That wouldn't do. She wanted-no, she _needed_ her happy Sora back right now. This day was challenging enough already. She tried giving him a playful smile to hopefully pry out his own.

"Now I suppose you are going to announce you are my long lost prince and have a magic fruit that will grant my every wish, right?"

Ignoring her quip, he continued pressing.

"What if you could get your freedom, but there was maybe a one percent chance that the spell wouldn't work and you'd lose everything. Would you still want to try?"

"Wh-" Her voice caught in her throat. What kind of question was that? She might have dismissed it right away, but the way his eyes were desperately shimmering at her made her think twice. And she tried to consider it. She really did.

No matter what fear gripped her in this life, she could never ever live with herself if she were to do something so selfish. Even if it were just one percent, half a percent, or half of a half of a percent risk of losing her Ability; it was too much to gamble. All of those names and voices of the people in the town she had almost met still echoed through her consciousness. Claire and her bakery, Alain and his paintings, Wilbur and his good luck charms. All of those people needed her to stay strong and fulfill the duty she was destined to complete. She had to be brave through this. She couldn't throw their lives away just for herself.

Even though she made that promise to herself that she wouldn't cry any more, it was getting harder to stem the growing swell of tears. The handsome knight was trying to rescue his damsel, reaching out desperately to save her. She had no idea what his plan was, or what he even thought he could do, but he still wanted to try. It would be in vain. The beautiful maiden would not take his hand. She couldn't.

This was the end.

She readied herself to answer him, but her sorrowfully resigned expression must have conveyed her thoughts wordlessly anyway. With a lowered head, he mumbled down to the ground.

"I understand."

It seemed like this was to be their destiny. To be like two birds forever only able to sing to one another through an open window. Neither could leave their own cage. Neither could be free. To never fly together through the gentle wind. Kairielis folded her hands in her lap and tried to smile through the pain.

Her heart knew the truth. And not with a thousand rules could they stamp it out of her. Even if it had to remain buried, the feeling would always, inevitably, be there.

"You know, Sora...we could play quite a funny joke on them today."

Perking up slightly, he tilted his now baffled expression up to her. "A joke?"

"Only a joke..." She rose from her chair and stared down at the suitors milling about the courtyard, keeping her voice low enough that only he could hear.

"They are all ready to go through their ridiculous posturing to try and win my affections. And when that is all over they will say grandly 'oh princess, loving and fair, please tell us to whom you wish to give your heart!' and expect me to point to my one choice."

Sora blinked a few times, and checked on the assembly of suitors waiting a stones throw away.

"Wouldn't it be funny, if when they ask me such a thing..."Kairielis cupped her hands behind her back, staring up at the cloudless blue sky. "What if I turned to you, instead? Reached out to you, like this?"

She spun around playfully, mocking the movement, extending a hand towards him. Startled, it took Sora a moment to consider her words as his focus shifted between her hand and her eyes a few times before he relaxed and smiled back.

But it wasn't a true smile. Not really.

"Y-yeah...I can only imagine what your dad would say."

He suddenly found his shoes particularly interesting, and after briefly pawing at his sleeve, once more chanced a yearning look towards her extended hand.

He really was like a caged bird, singing out a song ever the more beautiful and haunting the more it desired to be free. His forced laugh was almost painful.

"And would it...would it be even funnier if I accepted? If I promised to watch over your heart forever?"

The summer air was warm. Hot. Making her drowsy. She let the heaviness in her eyelids take over, her hand flopping uselessly to her side. She never wanted to forget how he looked at that moment. That purely wonderful, painful yet beautiful moment.

She shivered, even surrounded by all the sun's heat. "I-it would be very funny. And...then we could both shout, 'Just kidding!' and laugh. Laugh until we can't stop ourselves from crying. The most...the most funny thing..."

He knew who she really was. Always seemed to know that underneath her stuffy formal dress, underneath all the gaudy makeup, her hair twisted all out of shape, under the heavy crown weighing down her head, maybe a lonely girl named Kairi really was still there.

Around him, she never felt like a princess.

She kept her eyes pinched shut desperately, knowing if she opened them again she likely wouldn't be able to stop her own tears. "But...it's too cruel. I could never play a joke like that."

"...I know."

Despite her struggle, a single tear rolled down her cheek and she hastily turned, wiping at her eyes. "Maybe I'm just too weak, but I can't ruin everything that everyone has worked so hard for. I can't chance a single thing."

She swallowed.

It hurt.

"I'm too weak to break the script they've already penned for me long before I was born. And I'm..." She couldn't steady the wobbling in her voice. "I'm a-afraid the role of p-princess isn't written to be funny."

For a while he said nothing. Then, still wordlessly, he approached her place at the edge of the courtyard, just under the shade of the awning. Both standing in the edge of the shadow, side-by-side. She didn't care that he wasn't supposed to stand there next to her. Or that he was probably closer than the rules allowed. So close, yet not nearly close enough.

She just wanted him there. Wanted to see his expression once more as optimistic and comforting as it always had been. To have him right next to her as the wave of duty destroyed her happy little sand castle and swept it out to oblivion.

"It's not weakness, Kairi. Not at all."

* * *

On a lone pole in the marketplace, the parchment flier fluttered in the breeze. Over the course of the day many had stopped to read its words, some reacting in shock, others in curiosity. Most enjoyed standing around idly gossiping about its content, happy to have something new other than the weather to chat about.

For declared in the fanciest scrawling calligraphy, posted on all the message boards across town was a formal announcement from the castle.

 _"_ _For the good of the kingdom in this trying time, we urge everyone to make merry and celebrate our loving princess,_ _ever_ _devoted to her people._ _D_ _espite not yet coming of age,_ _and not yet_ _succeeding the throne,_ _she_ _has chosen a suitor. Together, at the nearest fortuitous day, both_ _Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla_ _and Duke_ _Hans Westergaard_ _of Galbadia will be joined together, forever, in the ceremony of Light._

 _Many blessings upon their future rein."_

Claire shoved her broom across the cobblestones in front of her bakery, knowing fully well they were already clean. She also knew there wasn't a pastry in the world sweet enough that could mask the bitterness of this news. She scoffed as she remembered all the flowery language about 'blessings' and 'fortuitousness'. It was all wrong. And whoever this 'Duke' was could go march right on back to Galbadia whence he came.

Those two honey sweet children deserved a faerie tale ending, not this hogwash.

She wrenched her broom back and forth even harder than before, fighting back her rage at the injustice of it all, huffing under her breath.

"Oh, what might have been..."


	11. Ch 11: Confessions

"You, uh...wanted to see me?"

Sora stood awkwardly just outside the door to the guest suite, struggling to remember if there was supposed to be any sort of etiquette about entering the rooms of visiting aristocrats or not. From the slightly ajar door he could see a still-steaming kettle resting on a small tea table, surrounded by half touched hors d'eurvres.

He didn't particularly want to see this guy any more than he had to today- just watching someone doing his best all afternoon to flirt with Kairi made his stomach turn, but he couldn't exactly turn down the offer for no reason. Saying 'I flat out don't trust you' probably wouldn't go over too well.

There was still no answer from inside the room and he squished up his face in frustration. It wasn't that this Hans guy was... _bad_ , exactly. After all, the thing he had brought to answer Kairi's request this morning had been, of all things, _sincerity_. While all the others had brought stuff like fancy jewelry, a pair of shoes, or desserts, with his hand on his heart, Hans had pledged to offer her complete honesty every day once he becomes her-

Sora shook his head furiously. He didn't even want to think about that.

Sure, proclaimed grandly in front of a crowd, Hans' answer was fine. Perfect for her, even. That was, _if_ Hans was telling the truth. Because there was something about him that just felt...kind of _in_ sincere. Hans never really answered any questions she asked him, and was far too quick to agree with whatever she said, even when she was joking.

Ugh, that duke just didn't get her at all.

He worried though that maybe he was being a little unfair, and a little too judgmental. After all, he wasn't exactly unbiased about this situation. That, and it wasn't like there was really a decent alternative for her to choose. Between the suitors this morning, who else could she even pick? The stinky guy?

Regardless, Sora had already decided anyone who was going to claim themselves to be Kairi's fiance was going to get scrutinized to hell and back before he lent his approval, that was for sure. That was the main reason he had agreed to this weird request in the first place.

"We must speak one-on-one," Hans had said, "on matters of state."

Whatever that meant. But it _would_ give him a chance to scope this guy out a bit more, and that was reason enough to agree.

Sora leaned a little into the door frame to check the room one more time, but still didn't see anyone.

"Hello? If you're not here maybe I'll just come back tomo-"

"Nonsense. Please, come in."

Sora searched out the source of the voice and met his gaze immediately. Hans was leaning back comfortably in one of the castle's many hand embroidered armchairs in the very back corner of the room, not looking in any particular rush to explain why he had suggested this meeting in the first place, or why he hadn't revealed himself sooner.

The both of them stared at each other for a moment, and all at once Sora felt like he was actually the one being judged. It was almost as if they were both playing a game of cards, and Hans was now seizing him up before lying down the first bet.

Well, if that was the way he was gonna be, Sora wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of feeling intimidating. He gave Hans a polite smile and strode right into the room.

"Sure thing!"

His cheerful call seemed to temporarily confuse the duke, who now sat up a bit more in his chair. Sora waited a moment then, after hearing nothing, decided to get things started himself.

"So, you said you had something to talk about? What is it?"

Hans gestured over towards the tea table, as if offering some, but Sora declined with a hasty hand wave. Who would want hot tea in the middle of summer? Maybe it was a Galbadia thing...

"Even if you don't want to drink, please sit. This won't be a simple matter to discuss."

Sora inwardly hoped that this wouldn't take too long; he wanted to at least see Kairi once more today. It was hard not to be a little jealous that Riku was getting to spend some time alone with her right now in the orchard. So not fair...

Shrugging, he plopped himself down into one of the stiff wooden table chairs and waited, bouncing his knee idly until Hans spoke.

"You are her personal guard, correct?"

Sora responded with a quick nod.

"And would you say you understand her well enough to answer a question or two about her?"

"Uh...I'll try."

"Then I must warn you, this matter will be both simple, yet complex."

Well that wasn't confusing at all. Sora tried not to give away his bafflement at the contradiction and just kept listening.

"Tell me, what is it that is troubling her? We spent the entire afternoon getting to know one another, yet no matter how many times I tried to ask she still refused to set a date for our Light Bonding. Does she find me that horrible?"

At the end of the day Sora knew he wasn't the most knowledgeable person when it came to girls, but even he thought it was pretty obvious what was going on with Kairi. Surely Hans couldn't actually be that clueless about it?

"Of course she doesn't think you're horrible. It doesn't have anything to do with you...she just isn't ready yet. Maybe give it more than a day to-"

"I see." The duke cut him off and abruptly stood up from the chair. He paced over towards one of the tall bookshelves, thankfully taking his judging gaze elsewhere for a while. "If that is the case, I have one more matter to discuss, if that is alright?"

Sora nodded, but realized that because now Hans was facing the books he couldn't see his answer, so he hastily added a "yeah" for good measure.

But Hans fell silent again, as if mulling over the proper phrasing.

"Kairielis is...a very headstrong girl. I was told she takes after her mother. Be this good or ill I haven't yet decided. And while she is very loving, there is still a great wall around her heart that she guards closely. She refuses to let many in. Despite this, somehow she has opened those doors to you. I can see she trusts you, and highly values your opinion."

"Really!?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he could hold it back, probably sounding far more happy at such a notion than he was supposed to be. He clamped his mouth shut again, inwardly wincing for letting his emotions take over.

Thankfully, Hans didn't comment.

"My opinion is not unfounded. This morning, I told her I would bring her sincerity, as my wedding gift to her. I know how valuable sincerity can be. I know what it is like in aristocratic circles, and sincerity is very hard to come by. No one is ever as they seem. They all are scheming, plotting, selfish..."

Maybe it was naive of him to think so, but Sora couldn't help but feel that this was a tad of an exaggeration and he wasn't shy about piping up, humming slightly in protest. Hans chose to ignore him again.

"Every one of us is out to get something. We have dreams, fueled by our own selfish desires. I'm sure there is something even you desire as well? Something you cannot have?"

Sora swallowed heavily as he heard Hans turn back around to face him. It was a painful struggle not to betray any hint of the thoughts dancing around his head. He did his best to stiffen both his back and his expression.

 _Nope, nope, nope. Don't think about Kairi. Don't think about her..._

It was hopeless. She occupied every corner of his mind in some way. Her smile, that light floral scent that followed her room to room...

But he needed to say something to fill in the ever more awkward growing silence.

"I'm, uh...not sure if having dreams is selfish, though. Calling it selfish makes it sound like it's a bad thing to look forward to your future."

Hans smiled at him, but it was twinged with something far more menacing, and Sora felt his skin prickling just looking at it.

"Indeed. Dreams are wonderful. And true honesty is a blessing. Now, my point is that when I asked her highness if she had anyone in her life already who she felt she could trust, I couldn't help but notice her eyes linger on _you_ before she answered."

Sora managed to choke down his exclamation this time, but couldn't stop the smile on his face. He forced himself to look down at his shoes, just to try and hide it a little. Also, it was nice to not have to look into that slightly unnerving smile hovering in front of the bookshelf any longer.

"Naturally she tried to deny it. Because, as I understood it, you knights are not meant to be anything more than just living swords and shields to her. Let alone a figure of trust and confidence. Now, your name was..."

The small kettle on the table was still steaming, and it was actually radiating quite a bit of extra uncomfortable heat. He wished he could go sit somewhere else.

"...Sora."

"Yes, well then, Sora...I find myself in need of assistance. I need to find someone she trusts and beseech them for aid, be they noble or not. Or even without a title. And it is a...sensitive topic. Would you be able to help me?"

The first bet of their unspoken card game had just been laid down on the table. Hans needed to find someone close to Kairi for whatever reason. As a princess who typically wasn't meant to have any friends, that would seem at first to be a pretty difficult task, if not an impossible one. But Hans suspected, correctly of course, that maybe things were not quite as typical between them.

Sora wasn't sure what to do. If he accepted the offer to listen to the request, he would basically be admitting that Kairi was breaking a few rules in putting her trust in him. But if he didn't, the conversation would likely end and he wouldn't be able to figure out exactly what it was Hans was up to. There was something suspicious about this whole thing, but Sora didn't really have a shred of proof beyond some shadowy glances and questionable word choice.

Now, before Hans was willing to reveal his hand, he was asking Sora to enter the betting pool. To put something of his own at risk in order to learn something new. There was some incredibly complicated mental game at work here, but Sora really wasn't cut out for poker. He had long since stopped even participating with the others after pretty much the entire barracks figured out he told lies just about as good as a fish could climb trees.

What would Riku do at a time like this? Right! Be vague! Agree without agreeing! Then he could always take it back if he needed to. If he could pull that off, it would be fantastic.

... _If_.

"What, uh...what do you need help with?"

Great! That wasn't admitting anything, and was pushing the question back on Hans to feed him some more information. He was kind of proud of himself. However, when he saw the duke his pride melted like an abandoned ice cream cone.

Hans had a vaguely amused smile, as if Sora had just uttered a weak joke. And that honestly made Sora kinda grumpy. So much for being secretly crafty.

The Duke crossed his arms. "...Are you saying that you are in a position to help me, then? I'd like confirmation before I waste both our valuable time."

Great, one question substituted for another. And a yes or no one, too. How was he supposed to be vague when answering that? The air in the room had gotten quite heavy and stale now too, so he really wanted to go yank open one of the windows. He inwardly chuckled to himself, wondering if maybe he should open it just in case he needed to go call for help.

Ugh, he really didn't want to get Kairi in trouble. But he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I...I dunno. Maybe you should just tell me what the favor is first?"

A brief silence passed between the two of them, the only sound coming from the light fluttering of the curtains against the window.

"As a knight, you serve the kingdom, correct?"

"...Yeah." This wasn't a trick question, right? It didn't seem like it.

"Then surely you understand that it would be for the good of the kingdom for her bonding ceremony with me to be completed in a timely manner?"

Never. No way. It felt like a hot stone had just dropped itself down into his stomach, and Sora tried incredibly hard not to imagine this duke and his twisted smile being anywhere near Kairi. Even the thought of that guy's fingers brushing through her hair was too much to bear. He took a moment to steady his breath, considering how to offer yet another indifferent answer. But it was getting harder and harder not to let his feelings leak through.

"That's...what everyone says."

"I ask again, _would you agree_?" Hans wasn't going to let him off easily.

Once more Sora felt trapped. His head was starting to hurt, and he had no idea how to craftily sneak his way around this question. Maybe there was no way around it.

"I just...want what's best for her."

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the answer Hans was waiting for and he once more let a sneer spread across his face.

"Then you are the perfect person to help me."

Sora really didn't like the confident way the duke had said that, and clamped his mouth shamefully shut so he wouldn't say anything else he regretted.

"My quandary is this, Sora. As a figure that she can trust, if you were to suggest something I am sure she would listen. And, as you can see the value in expediting the Light ceremony, I'm sure you can also see reason in...urging her to move forward with it."

"W-what?" The painful rock in his stomach dissolved into pure, weightless horror.

"Simply: I need you to convince her to settle on a wedding date as soon as possible."

But once the question had clearly announced its presence, Sora didn't even need another second to know how to answer it. He felt like he could light a fire with the sparks snapping at the corners of his vision that was slowly tunneling towards the smarmy weasel in front of him.

"No."

"...No?" Hans _actually_ looked slightly surprised at his refusal, which for some reason only made Sora even more upset about the whole thing.

"No! I'm not forcing her to do anything."

"I...understand, but please don't see it as _forcing_ her. Sometimes women don't know what's best for them. I just want you to give her some compliments about me, loosen up any resistances she has."

"What's best for-loosen up...are you serious!?"

Ugh, could you get any more slimy!? Sora struggled to keep himself from doing something he would regret. How problematic would it be to start a fight with a duke? Probably pretty bad.

"You just have to tell her some positives about my character. Maybe emphasize what a good king I will be. She's very emotional though, isn't she? So maybe make sure to throw in some reflections on how kind and generous I am for good measure."

"So manipulating her, then? I won't do it. I won't lie to her. I'll tell her the truth that you're trying to trick her, though." He made sure to focus his indignation straight into that irritating, punch-able face. "Because I'm sincere. There's no way she will want to marry a creep like you once she finds out."

Hans didn't take kindly to the insult, and curled his nose up like he had just smelled something pungent. "I see. You tell her and then what? She has already signed the engagement papers. Her father's seal has long dried. No matter how much she moans and screams she can't change her mind now. We are already as good as married already. If you say a disparaging word about me what will that accomplish? Perhaps it will only make her miserable. Surely she would want a life in ignorance, rather than thinking I'm a…'creep' as you so elegantly phrased it."

Sora couldn't ignore the absolute smug disdain on Hans' lips while he was reciting that drawling nonsense. "What makes you think you know what she wants? You've barely even tried trying to get to know her at all!"

"What would be the point in that?"

Sora gawked at him, barely able to comprehend what he had just heard. "T-the _point_ …?"

"All that matters to her kingdom is producing a viable heir. And all that matters to me is finally receiving what is due. I have put so much work already to get the crown that I'm starting to lose patience for this nonsense. I'm pursuing my dream. Looking to my future. The future of the kingdom!"

Hans slammed his fist heavily into the tea table, rattling it and tipping one of the fine china tea cups on its side. Luckily it was empty.

"You wouldn't believe the gauntlet I had to run through to even become the representative of Galbadia. I had to sabotage every single one of my brothers to fall out of favor with our father. That takes time. Effort. Then I find out the rules were changed last minute and now the victor wasn't up to Committee vote! Now I had to pass some ridiculous task and play all nice to get chosen by her hand personally..."

He smacked the table again. The serving platter lined with various cakes wobbled, and a few bite sized desserts splatted on the carpet.

"But I bit my tongue, played my part, and did the song and dance she requested. Thankfully the rest of those suitors were all jokes. But I've waited long enough! I'm done with the games!"

He sucked in a hefty gulp of air, and smoothed down a few locks of hair that had come loose during his eruption. Calmer now, he continued. "Her happiness isn't exactly a priority for the kingdom, so it isn't a priority for me. Wouldn't you agree that this is indeed correct? As an _impartial_ knight, serving the crown?"

Unable to stand it any longer, Sora jumped out of his chair, the legs shrieking as they skidded backwards across the wooden floor.

"Not a priority!? How could anyone _ever_ think that? Kairi is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. What is a stupid crown compared to someone like her!? Her smile is reason enough to make me thankful every day for every second I can spend with her. She deserves to be happy all the time, not just when it's convenient for the _kingdom_!"

Sora's fists were clenched so hard they hurt, and he only just realized that half or maybe even all of what he had just been thinking he had just announced, screaming, into the room. He wasn't supposed to say that. Not a single word of it.

His heart sank as he heard Hans laugh.

"So much for impartiality, I see. This makes things even easier for me now."

And so much for keeping his poker hand secret. Sora had just full on dumped every single card face up on the table, leaving no secret barred.

Hans lazily reached over to fix the unsettled tea cup from earlier. "And you're wrong. She's as two-dimensional as they come."

His fingers lifted up a small cookie that had fallen down onto the table cloth and examined it, amused. "She's pure sugar sweet with absolutely no substance. A goody-goody princess if I ever saw one."

The cookie practically disintegrated between his pinched fingers and he flicked the lingering crumbs at Sora's infuriated face.

"Take that back! You are seriously underestimating her if you think that just because she is a princess, that defines who she is! You...you should be ashamed of lying to her! Didn't you promise sincerity!?"

"I did. But unlike some people I have tact and poise about what I choose to reveal. I personally don't consider it a problem to...withhold certain information, so long as what you do say is truthful."

Sora just growled at him, wanting nothing more than to hurl one of the discarded biscuits that had fallen on the floor right at his stupid big chin. "You dirty snake! That isn't—that isn't..." His threats fell on deaf ears, as Hans kept snickering. "Why are you still laughing!? Do you think this is just some joke!?"

"I was just wondering that myself. It's so cliché it's nearly unbelievable." Any trace of amusement faded, and Hans' face was now deathly serious. He folded his arms across his chest and glared. The tension between the two of them was thicker than the frosting of the little cakes, upside down, smudging the carpet.

"...You're in love with her, aren't you?"

There was no reason to deny it now. Sora wasn't even sure if he could find it in his heart to try and lie about it anyway, so he nearly spat the rest of his answer out at the pathetic excuse of a man in front of him. ""So what!? At least I see her as more than just a prize."

"To your misfortune. Because no matter how much you pine for her, nothing will ever come of it."

Perhaps Hans liked to think of himself as some crafty fox, twisting his way into power because of all sorts of back-stabbing machinations. Or maybe he considered himself a viper, biting at the ankles of his enemies and watching the poison slowly take them. But Sora could only look at him and think how sad and lonely his existence must be, that he felt the need to trample every single person who crossed his path. That he was so blinded by greed he couldn't even see Kairi as anything more than a title. And even as Hans continued threatening him, Sora seethed with not only frustration, but also, strangely, sorrow that this was how things had turned out.

"You will be like a pathetic dog begging for scraps off my table. Because if you want her, you'll have to earn the privilege. You _will_ convince her to move the ceremony ahead in a timely schedule. Sweet talk her into it. Do a good job about it and maybe I'll arrange for you to be her personal knight if that's what you want."

"...and if I still refuse?"

"If you refuse, I will personally make sure that you are exposed for your...pitiful feelings. You'll never see her again. That I can assure you. Neither sounds pleasant, but I'm sure scraps are better than nothing. It's more than someone in your position deserves."

Sora felt a crushing wave of hopelessness for a moment as he realized he was backed into a corner. No, he wasn't too bothered by what Hans was threatening him with, because the threats meant nothing; there was no way Sora was even entertaining the idea of not telling Kairi. Instead, his hopelessness stemmed from the realization that the secret he had long kept guarded was maybe the only path that could lead away from the dark future looming over them. He had to tell her. Otherwise there was no way out.

But this secret was going to rip the ground out from underneath Kairi's feet. It was going to shake the foundation that her whole life had been built up around. Part of him had hoped she would just remember on her own...

It was going to be painful. And the last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain. But maybe it was a better alternative than being stuck chained to this smarmy duke her whole life.

The same smarmy duke that was now sneering down at him with a frustratingly triumphant glare.

"It isn't wise to stand against your next king, boy."

Sora couldn't wait for Kairi to wipe that smug look off that guys' face with a feisty zinger or two tomorrow when she met him for tea. Narrowing his eyes, he made sure every speck of his disdain was visible in his expression. Then, he stiffly turned and marched straight towards the door, hurling it open with his whole body.

He only stopped briefly to yell back into the depths of the guest suite.

"You are _never_ going to be king."

Hans' sea green eyes furrowed as they watched the knight disappear down the hallway. For some reason he had the distinct feeling that this boy was hiding a very dangerous, yet very powerful card up his sleeve. And this concerned him. Maybe the boy had a better poker face than he had thought.

* * *

Even didn't look up from the bubbling contents of his beaker, even though he had registered the creaking sound of the laboratory door giving way to an incoming visitor. Whoever had entered approached the table. The careful sound of their footsteps, able to navigate around the exact spots on the floorboards that squeaked, belied their familiarity with the room. No doubt it was a fellow researcher of some sort.

The bubbles in the beaker fizzled, popped and went out.

Sighing, Even finally turned to address whoever it was.

"Ah. Ienzo. Were my reports on the artificial rain not to your specifications?

"They were."

He huffed, swirling the contents of the glass around and gave it a few hearty flicks with his finger, but it remained inert. "Good. You know I don't have time for any of that bookkeeping nonsense."

"I am here for something else, but it needs your discretion."

"I'm listening..."

The records keeper behind him circled the long way around the laboratory table until he was standing opposite the current experiment. The curled looping tubes twisting between bottles hiding him slightly from view.

"Does the name Ellone sound familiar?"

Even nearly dropped the beaker. Shakily, he returned it to the stand and leaned across the table. "The project involving that...witch was meant to stay secret. It is foolhardy to pry into it further."

"So Ellone _is_ a person then?"

Silence, accompanied by the frothing sound of various bubbling chemicals in the room, answered Ienzo's question. Because Even, gawking at the researcher with bulging, slightly twitchy eyes didn't seem collected enough to confirm anything himself.

"I'd consider volunteering a bit more information than that, Even. I can easily make funding your future projects a difficult endeavor."

His eyes bulged even more. "No need to threaten my work! I don't consider myself beholden to their ridiculous bureaucratic rules. So long as you understand the risk you're putting yourself into, I'll tell you whatever gets you out of this laboratory the fastest."

Ienzo folded harm arms across his chest, proving that for once he wasn't going to be taking notes on whatever the two of them would be discussing for the next while.

A small mouse scurried across the laboratory floor, checking for scraps or anything left lying around that would make a tasty munch-munch. But he should have known better, the kitchen was far better for those things. His little paws pattered on the clean stone as his nose twitched first left, then right, and he caught the scent of two crumb-droppers talking over a table only a short distance away.

The mouse wasn't interested in conversation. It wasn't interested in the garbled words spoken in hushed tones. Because the mouse had no idea what important royal secrets were being divulged in front of him in that damp laboratory that smelled slightly of sour milk.

"-she's being kept alive down there even now. Who knows if it will be necessary to use her powers again."

If the mouse could huff, it would have.

Not a single crumb!

* * *

"I should have seen something like this coming." Kairielis tried to hide the trembling of her hands by shoving them into her lap. "I knew he was hiding something, I just didn't realize it was that...despicable."

While it had come as a slight surprise, she wasn't altogether shocked. What had surprised her more was Sora suddenly darting up to her and Riku in the garden, winded, rattling off all sorts of things faster than was even intelligible. Riku had even jumped a little, ever so briefly tipping his hand towards his sword before realizing who it was and catching himself.

Once Sora had been calmed down enough to explain properly, his panic was understandable. She had been wondering if Hans would meet Sora's approval and now she had her answer. An absolute definitive, scream-it-into-the-air, thundering louder than thunder, 'no'.

From what Sora gathered from their meeting, the suitor she had chosen was a selfish, greedy, manipulative schemer who was more interested in a heavy chunk of metal for his head than anything to do with her. Sora seemed so determined to inform her of this, his face so genuinely empathetic and worried for her sake, that she felt far too guilty to confess she had already assumed Hans was a bit shady.

Sora hung his head contritely, as if he had anything to do with the situation.

"I'm...really sorry."

"Don't worry, I'm not ridiculous enough to shoot the messenger. I'm glad you told me."

Opting to sit down on the slightly mossy stone bench under the large oak tree, she gave the space next to her a little tap, urging Sora to join her. No, she wasn't supposed to do it but she didn't care. And Riku was looking far too enraged at the situation to protest, like he wanted nothing more than to be allowed into his own 'private meeting' with the duke.

Sora dropped himself down, after slight hesitation. It seemed like there were quite a number of thoughts tumbling around in that mysterious head of his, and he wasn't sure which to mention first.

"I...don't want you to have to live a lie anymore. I think...I think you deserve to know the truth about everything."

She noticed Riku's expression suddenly shift into one more of alarm than anger and she wondered if maybe there was something he had picked up on from Sora's words that she had missed. He marched over and yanked Sora up to his feet, dragging him a few steps away by the arm.

"Sorry, borrowing him for a moment."

The princess had no idea what her two knights were discussing in hushed tones with one another over by the rose bush, but by the way they kept glancing over in her direction it wasn't hard to guess the subject material. Both of them were passionately pushing whatever side of the debate they were on, and she wasn't clear who was winning. After a while, her two knights came back over to the bench, looking a tad flustered with each other but the matter seemed settled nonetheless.

Riku gave Sora a pointed look then briefly nodded his head to her. "I'm going to head back a bit early. If the duke is really that conniving, I want to try and get a few steps ahead so he can't muddle things up any further."

"Oh...are you sure?"

It made sense for him to go, but she was a little disappointed the three of them couldn't sit and talk for just a little bit longer together. She also didn't like the idea of the two of them having an argument and not patching things up first.

"The muddier the truth becomes, the more difficult it is to set things straight. Because sometimes the truth is more difficult to accept than a finely crafted lie."

There was something poignantly sorrowful in his eyes, but she nodded in understanding. This seemed to satisfy him enough, and he turned to leave, but not without mumbling something else into Sora's ear.

"Yeah...I know." Sora still looked quite somber and distracted by his own thoughts, which was also concerning.

She hoped the point of their contention wasn't too difficult to resolve.

And as she watched Riku disappear through the arched gate, she wondered why such a haunting fear was now hovering behind her like a phantom. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to dissipate the feeling creeping up on her. The air had only grown more humid and it felt like every breath she took was laden with moisture penetrating her lungs and weighing them down.

As ominous as an approaching thunderstorm could be, at least it would bring rain. And wasn't it always meant to be the darkest just before the light could burst in to reclaim the sky? The storm would always rage at its worst before you could possibly hope to see a hopeful streak of color dancing above your head.

Or so they said.

She patted the stone bench next to her again, hoping Sora would once more join her.

"I hope that Hans didn't give you too hard of a time. If he did let me know, I'll make sure to tell the cooks to slip something spicy in his eggs tomorrow morning."

Sora chuckled a bit at this, at least, but he still looked somewhat more damp than usual as if the thunderstorm had already soaked him to the bone. He started nervously playing with the straps on his gloves. While part of the full uniform for all guards, those gloves were only really required for those who would be near her. She realized, somewhat wistfully, that she had never actually seen his bare hands before. And probably she never would.

"It wasn't...so bad."

His hesitation was adorable. Despite the somewhat somber atmosphere, she wanted nothing more than to bop him on the head for being silly.

Running a few fingers through her now loose and free hair, she continued to wait for him to arrange the ideas tumbling in his head. Meanwhile feeling glad she had been able to finally take down all those braids and curls. And the crown too, that thing was far heavier than it really needed to be.

She would easily chuck it over to Hans to keep if she knew that would send him skipping back home and out of her life. It was one thing to deal with a selfish fiance on her own, but the fact that Sora now seemed getting emotionally bogged down by it was troubling to say the least. If only things could go back to the way they were before: peaceful and quiet.

"Sora, um...you and Riku weren't fighting, were you?"

He smiled weakly into his lap and sighed. "No...it's nothing like that."

"But you were at least disagreeing about something."

He didn't answer this time. While this essentially confirmed her suspicions, she wasn't much closer to discover the actual problem. She had a suspicion that Riku was trying to offer advice that Sora wasn't heeding.

She squished up her face at him playfully. "You're moping worse than me."

It had been a while since she saw the slightest sliver of that smile of his. She had missed it.

"Sorry about that." He took a deep breath and stretched the cheesiest, beaming grin he could muster across his face. "How's this?"

Laughter had never felt so freeing and wonderful. Now she _definitely_ wanted to give him that head bop.

He gave a big stretch and let his face fall into a more natural position, temporarily dropping his hands to rest on the top of his spiky untamed mess of hair. It was nice to see his usual carefree and happy self had come to visit again.

"So, uh...here's the thing..."

"Yes?"

"Well...it's a bit..." He ultimately couldn't settle on an adjective he liked best and shook his head, skipping over the thought entirely. "Back when I got chosen to be your guard, I was honestly really happy. I knew I needed to keep you safe but...I also hoped I could make your days cheerful and fun."

He leaned back on the bench, using his arms to hold up his weight as he prodded at a long blade of grass with the tip of his boot. "Once I knew you had to get married I thought...er, I was hoping that at least one of those guys would also care about _you_. Not the title, not the status. Just...someone who wanted to make you happy too."

How was he always so impossibly sweet? Though maybe just wishing her to have a fiance care about her wasn't such a ridiculous desire. It was almost the bare minimum. She briefly considered the situation with Hans and felt bitter. Why was this day so awful? And Sora was right. If only there had been at least _one_ decent option. Just one!

She saw his face out of the corner of her eye. Her chin trembled.

There was one. But he was infuriatingly off limits.

Sora must have seen through her false show of poise and he scrambled to try and find a handkerchief in case the tears started coming again. Gods, she really must be a mess today if he had thought to keep one ready like that. He gingerly offered it over, taking extra care to pinch it only at the far corner with his fingers so she could grab it easily.

"I'm sorry. Today has been...not the best."

"Don't worry about it."

The pattern on his handkerchief was surprisingly cute, embroidered with what looked like small representations of characters from a children's play. Well, maybe with him such a thing should not be so surprising at all. She almost wanted to change the subject and discuss the funny little baby monsters around the edges of the cloth, wondering where he got it from, but she knew there was still something important he had left unsaid.

"So...um...if there's anything else, please don't worry about telling me."

Rather than answer her directly, he shifted a bit on the stone bench, as if somehow the rock a few centimeters to the right was any more comfortable.

"Yeah...see, I thought it would only make you sad to know the truth, but after everything today I think it's maybe better for me to confess everything. All the things that I should have told you sooner. Riku said it was a bad idea, but...it's too important."

 _Confess_ _…?_

She tried not to let herself get too flushed at the thought. Or too hopeful. He didn't necessarily mean anything _romantic_ , but that didn't stop her heart from kicking up into an excited dance. There were far too many things swirling in her head now. Why would him confessing make her sad? What had he been holding back from telling her? Was it something more serious than his deep dark secret of a cuddly stuffed dragon?

She tried speaking, but ended up starting and restarting herself so many times she couldn't even phrase a single sentence. Instead, she only questioned his name softly, letting the rosy tinge on her cheeks speak the volumes she couldn't manage.

And it seemed she had sucked the words right out of him. He stammered for a moment, thrown off his canter, and had to pause to regain his thoughts. But he pressed onward, clearly resolved to say his piece.

"First, about that Hans guy...honestly, he's not right for you. He's just not. Like I said, I wanted you to find someone who cares about you properly. And I know you already signed the papers, and I know it's your fathers' orders, but I won't let them make you give your heart to someone like that. That guy...he doesn't care about your feelings at all. He doesn't love you like he shou-"

"-like you do?"

She greedily pounced on the opportunity, not wanting to wait another second, breath baited, for his confession. Sora's entire face flushed with color as he gawked, shocked. In the dimming light of dusk, quiet and tranquil, he had every opportunity to deny it.

But he didn't deny a thing.

It wasn't long before he started to smile again, and laughed with carefree abandon towards the sky. Such a wonderful sound.

"I really am horrible at keeping secrets, huh? Maybe...it's wrong for someone like me to care about your future, but I just can't help it."

While the Duke of Galbadia had trumpeted sincerity, it was all just for show. If she ever needed to know the real meaning of the word, all she had to do was look into the deep blue eyes of the one sitting right next to her now. Eyes as endless as the summer sky.

He clenched his fingers around the edge of the stone bench. "Ever since I first met you, I dunno what it is but I felt like it was more than chance that brought us together."

Warm giddy bubbles filled every corner of what was once hollow inside of her. Nothing else in the garden mattered right now. She didn't care if anyone saw her, beaming back at him with nothing but adoration in her eyes. Everything inside of her wanted to scream out her feelings and it took every ounce of grace and control she had to resist.

When she finally managed to speak it was, shaky, slightly breathless.

"I'm...still a little embarrassed you first saw me trying to put out that fire like a complete idiot..."

He tried choking back another laugh, but it didn't work. And while that memory was still something she didn't really like her thoughts dwelling on, if it made him smile, even just once, then maybe it wasn't so bad.

"You know, before I walked in that door I was super nervous...and maybe it's a bit mean to say, but the minute I saw you like that it was actually a pretty big relief."

She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Why? Because then you knew there was no way you could make a mistake any worse if you tried?"

"No! No, nothing like that..." He waved his hands in front of him in panic, trying to back track. His rush to do so almost tipped him backwards off the bench and he teetered clumsily for a moment to regain his balance. Sora was the only person she had ever seen trip himself while sitting down. And now that she thought about it, this wasn't the first time he had done it, either.

"It's...hard to say why I felt that way. Partly because I figured maybe you wouldn't be too strict on the rules, but also, I guess I was happy because despite all the hard things you've had to go through, you were still really...spirited. You didn't let the hard times win."

"'Spirited' is a nice way to put 'clumsy', isn't it? You don't have to sugar coat it, I'm a big girl." She gave him a playful huff, a mock haughty expression on her face. "Go on, admit it."

He hummed a little to himself, as if considering only in jest. "...Are you sure?"

Alright that did it, she was going to give him the most hoity-toity expression she could manage! She stuck up her nose a little higher. "I demand the truth and I'll not take anything less. What was it you really thought about _my spirit_ , hmm?"

And Sora's smile had never looked brighter.

"Your spirit is what I love most about you."

Time froze.

"L-lo...y-you..." Every semblance of pride crumbled from her face and she felt her heart thump wildly in her chest. Each beat filling her with dizzy, burning heat. "W-what are you...saying?"

He tipped his head to the side, playing with his gloves again with a suppressed grin on his lips, suddenly looking like a huge weight had been lifted off of him. "Something I probably shouldn't. But I can't help it."

She couldn't help it either. Her head was throbbing like she had the most wonderfully pleasant headache imaginable. Kairielis lifted her chin, proudly revealing to him exactly what his words had done to her heart. Her cheeks were flushed, burning red. Her eyes wide and full of yearning. She was done with being coy. Done with hushed thoughts whispered only in her dreams as fragile and elusive as a drifting soap bubble.

She felt so dizzy. Warm. Her whole body tingled like even the tiniest part of her was dancing towards the inevitable. It was getting to her. She didn't want to fight it. Her body began drifting slowly, ever closer towards him.

"The two of us...have a big problem, don't we, Sora?"

The current pulling them together was rapidly picking up momentum. In the time it had taken her to gently sigh his name, they nearly collided. Whatever barriers that Sora might have put up to prevent himself from breaking that one, ultimate taboo, were crumbling to dust. He struggled, visibly, as if he wanted nothing more than to finally feel the warmth of her skin.

She also wanted nothing more than that. But the lingering threat of the consequences prevented them from crossing that final impenetrable barrier.

"Because...maybe...just maybe...I also..."

Facing together on the stone bench they lingered, their breathing close enough to collide and embrace in the air. Miming what they both fervently desired. She thought every forbidden thing, as hungrily desperate as a starving soul who had found an oasis of water in the desert. She hoped that somehow he could look into the depths of her eyes and hear her.

If she had been any other girl in the world she would have already flung herself forward, nuzzling so intensely into him it would have likely sent them both tumbling off the bench into the soft grass. She wanted to feel his arms envelop her, his hands clutching her shoulders, her arms, and anywhere he could cling as they snuggled as close as they possibly could. She wouldn't care one bit if they got covered in dirt, or if she got grass stains on her dress. She wanted to pin him down and kiss him so hard he wouldn't be able to say anything coherent for hours.

If only they could remain in that tender moment for longer. But as her body yearned to reach for him, she was only all the more reminded of the cost.

This was wrong. It felt so right but it was wrong.

Clatter-clack.

Somewhere in the garden, a bird had taken off flying from a branch, bouncing it enough to strike a nearby window.

The sound broke the spell between them. She dabbed at her eyes to catch the growing swell of tears before they fell, appreciating the soft touch of his adorably childish handkerchief. She gazed at the embroidery, at her trembling hands, anything but the face she pined to see, lest she get pulled back in and do something she would regret.

"Sora...I really am happy, just knowing how you feel. But...we've discussed this before. I know Hans may not be perfect, and like you said, he might be all wrong for me but I don't really have a choice. I won't be the first person in history to have a purely political marriage so even if he doesn't care about me, it's what I have to do."

Sora slammed a fist down onto his thigh and stood up, circling around to just in front of her, kneeling so she couldn't hide any longer from his eyes, sparkling and resolute.

"No. No you don't. I refuse to just sit and watch you continue to be endlessly lonely and miserable. Not if there's something I can do to help you."

"Help me?" Her tense fingers clenched his handkerchief even harder. So much so it was almost painful. "I already told you, even if you offer me a way out I can't-"

"Do you trust me?"

It was such a simple question. Simple, but loaded with so much meaning it was incredibly difficult to answer. The answer itself wasn't difficult, it was _answering_ that was the problem. After a moment of struggle, she managed to nod.

He was focused directly on her. And only her.

"This is...this is going to sound crazy, okay? But I need you to listen and trust me...it's about time I told you all of this."


	12. Ch 12: As You Wish

Dread.

The feeling that reality was teetering unsteadily on an unbalanced platform. One single errant flick of the finger and the whole structure would collapse into the abyss below. She had no idea how much this truth that Sora wanted to tell her was going to shake things up, and could only hope that her feet would still touch the ground when it was all over. He seemed so...frightfully serious, it was unnatural.

But she wanted to know. And he needed to tell her.

"So...one time you asked about my parents, right?"

A bit of an odd start to his deep dark secret, but she knew he was only getting started. Best to just let him speak. "Um...I asked about your mom a bit, I suppose..."

"Yeah. I don't think I ended up giving you a straightforward answer about it. The truth is...I'm adopted. No idea where I came from, really. I have a great mom now, and even if she's not related to me by blood she'll always be my mom. No question."

 _...Is that...all?_

Sora munched a bit at the corner of his mouth, as if petrified of her reaction. It was adorable, and also incredibly distracting. But more important than the burning desire blooming at her center was reassuring him right now that no matter where he came from, he was still unchanged in her mind. Sora could have been spirited into existence by magic clover sprites and she wouldn't care.

"It's wonderful you feel that way about her. And I'm happy you found a family." She briefly relished the look of relief that swept over his face. "I thought you said it was going to be some _crazy_ secret."

"That's not...the worst part."

 _Of course not. It couldn't be that simple, could it?_

"Until I lived with my mom in Balamb, I was sort of living on the streets around here." He started to fidget uncomfortably on the ground, his confidence growing shakier by the second. But it was only making him seem that much more deserving of someone to snuggle that insecurity away.

"I didn't really...I didn't always do the right things. I took food and stuff sometimes. Stole a pair of shoes once. I still feel bad about it."

A few of the puzzle pieces began to snap together. "Is that...why you spent so much time helping out around the town?"

She remembered all the people who had been grateful for his cheer. Then there was Claire, the baker who had lost her own children during Darkfall, who was particularly fond of helping starving children. Who was particularly fond of Sora. Surely not a coincidence.

He blinked a bit as if the thought hadn't really occurred to him before. "Oh...yeah, maybe. I mean, I don't remember everything from that time, so it's not like I know who I took stuff from. So I'm not sure if doing random favors really makes up for everything I did."

"You were only a child, it's not fair to blame you for trying to survive." Oh how she wanted to comfort the forlorn expression that had wormed its way onto his face again. Somehow she doubted that him snaching a loaf of bread or some such now and again was really as bad as he had likely built it up in his head over the years. "But if you were living on the streets here, when did you go to Balamb?"

"That was...some time after Darkfall. I'm not really sure exactly when. My memory of the time is kinda hazy..."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Kairielis hesitantly smiled, not wanting to make too light of the situation, but the way he nodded sagely back to her made her feel like maybe he hadn't caught on to her sarcasm.

"Well, uh...I was told Riku's dad found me. Probably saved me from starving, honestly. After that I stayed at their house for a while until my mom said she wanted me to go live with her."

"Sora, I wasn't...um..." Somehow he had interpreted her sarcasm as an actual request. It was nice of him to answer, though. But maybe it wasn't worth trying to bring up the mistake.

She shook her head and tapped the toe of her shoe into the dirt, digging a small ring in the loose loam. "I'm glad that you found a good home and a wonderful friend, too. But...still, none of that is crazy. Here I was expecting some over the top tale about how you swindled a giant out of his prized harp, or his magical singing spoon or something."

"Aw man, I wish! Then my nickname could be, uh, the...spoony bard?"

"No. _Definitely_ , no." Kairielis shivered at the very idea. "A nickname like _that_ is probably the only thing that could make me think less of you. Your past? Not so much."

He chuckled, but only for a moment. This mysterious secret of his still weighing him down so much that even his sense of humor was getting drowned out.

"Yeah, well...that's not exactly what worries me. There's...something that happened during Darkfall you still need to hear about."

Kairielis nodded solemnly and let him continue.

"I don't know if you remember the first day. They say it was the worst because no one even knew what was going on, or what was making everyone either disappear or turn into those...things. It seemed like they were targeting certain people, though, and a lot of kids managed to escape by slipping through the chaos and squeezing ourselves into small crawlspaces no one thought to check. I guess we didn't interest them too much."

He paused, as if to check on her. She hung her head, feeling a bit guilty that she really couldn't relate to any of those nightmares. "Please, just keep going. I'll be alright. If not, I'll let you know, okay?"

"R-right. So...all of us kids who escaped tried to group together for safety. Some of them had only just lost their parents, some had no idea if their loved ones were even still alive. We didn't know anything. So we did what we could and made our own temporary family. There was Selphie, Irvine, Gau, Vaan, and Penelo...just to name a few."

And in the back of her mind she thought she could see a dirtied young girl in a yellow dress with a blurry face and grimy fingers. Fingers that reached for her own, desperately, as she called her sister. She could hear the dripping of grime splatting across a cold stone floor. She saw narrow passages, slimy bridges over darkened chasms of gushing water, and an old rusty grate. The same places from her recurring dream.

"Did you...hide mostly in the sewers?"

Sora blinked up at her a moment, carefully reading her features before nodding. "Yeah, that's right."

"And...are there gates there? Locked with rusty keys?"

This time, rather than just confirm it, Sora took another deep breath, his eyes shining up at her in equal mix of apprehension and concern. "Here comes the crazy part. That day I walked in on you stamping out the fire in the carpet? The day I started guarding you? That...wasn't the first time we met. Our meeting wasn't very...it wasn't exactly the best memory for you. So maybe it makes sense that you forgot."

Kairielis blinked back in shock, not sure how to even respond. Not knowing if she even could. Sora meanwhile kept flicking at a tall strand of grass with his finger, clearly uncomfortable about what he was saying.

"You were down there with us. For almost all of Darkfall you were part of our family."

 _...What?_

Sora waited patiently in silence for her to collect the fragments of emotions fighting for control within her own heart.

"But...I was always told...my father made it very clear I was under the care of the guards, here in the castle."

The events of Darkfall hadn't ever been properly explained to her, that was true. But there were at least several things that had been asserted clearly. On the first day of Darkfall her mother had tried escaping with her, instead of following the orders and protocol for emergencies. The reports said the darkness caught up to the two of them, but her mother managed to hide her away somewhere and she was spared. It was said the guards found her shortly after, cuddled up alone in a back room of the castle, shivering and traumatized. They said she was barely conscious, and the castle guard watched over her the entire week and a half following until she had strength enough to wake. But her memory of the time never recovered.

"...You're now telling me that I was actually in the sewers with you that whole time?"

There was that same anxious, wordless nod again, and she kneaded her face over a few times with her hands, taking extra care to massage her temples. If she really had been down there, it would explain the recurring dreams a bit. But it wouldn't explain how she even ended up down there in the first place. Not only that, but she distinctly remembered in her dream, how the frightened younger girl with the grubby hands had scrambled for hers, smudging dirt along the back of them as she clutched them close. Even if she had gone into the sewers, like Sora suggested, the rest of her dream _had_ to be a fabrication. Nothing like that could have happened.

And while she did trust him...

If what he was saying was true, that meant her father and everyone else had lied to her. It meant that there was a countless amount of memories she had spent in Sora's company that she couldn't remember. Precious time with him she couldn't get back. It would be such a sorrowful, almost bitter fact to swallow.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"I know you don't exactly make a habit of lying, but...I need a bit of time to consider everything, if that's okay." Her smile was weak and uninspired, but she tried.

The air suddenly felt so much heavier and damp than before, and it only felt heavier when she saw there was still a worried expression on his face.

"There's...something else. I said I wanted to help you, remember?"

"Yes, of course I do."

Oh boy. He really was confessing everything, wasn't he?

"Something happened to you that you've forgotten. But if you knew about it, maybe you wouldn't have to marry that Hans guy. The problem is, the truth is...ugh, how can I even explain this?"

Rather than stumble over his own words, he seemed to settle on an alternate solution and began to carefully undo the strap at the back of his glove. She gasped, instinctively sliding a bit away from him on the bench despite her eyes being glued to his actions. The glove slipped off completely and she stared. His skin seemed far less delicate than her own, but she could see that his fingers, while slightly calloused, didn't look too rough. The palm looked large enough to wrap her own thin hands tightly inside and she shivered at the forbidden thought. Never ever ever was anyone supposed to do that. Everyone had to wear gloves around her. Always. Just in case.

"S-Sora, what are you..." She could barely gasp out anything coherent, staring at his hand in wondrous fear.

He flushed again and sighed, straightening up from his sitting position and briefly dusting off his knees. He then moved his hand, palm up, closer towards her and she had to fight every urge in her body not to pull away from him again.

"They also told you that you can't touch anyone, right? That if you do, your powers will go away?"

He gulped, visibly, and she noticed his hand trembling as it hung out in the air in front of her. "L-like I said, this is going to sound crazy, but...I'm pretty sure – no almost completely sure! Even if you take my hand right now you won't lose anything."

Alarm ripped through her and she jumped to her feet, her wobbling legs stumbling back from him.

"W...what!?" She struggled to calm her heart that was thrashing against her chest like a caged animal. "Why...how!? Who told you something like that?"

This time Sora offered the weak smile, using the hand not offered to her to itch the back of his head. "Any other questions you wanna throw in there? I'll try to answer everything."

Her whole body felt like it was going numb from shock and she was forced to lean up against the tall oak tree next to her. "Try. Please."

"I can't find any other way to put this, so I'll just say it. When we met, it was the first night of Darkfall, when the whole world was falling apart. You were...not doing very well. You felt like everything was hopeless because, uh...you already...you already lost your power."

The bark of the tree felt rough under her cheek as she squished her face against it. "Impossible. That's absolutely impossible. If I lost it I wouldn't have it now, Sora. The light doesn't just...come back. Once it's gone, it's gone."

"I don't know how it all works. I'm sure you know the legends and stories way better than I do, but I know what I experienced. I saw someone touch you and you lost it. And after that, you and I definitely held hands and-"

She flushed, intensely, trying not to think about the inviting hand still offered to her. The eyes that wanted her to.

"Wait. Wait, wait. You saw someone touch me? Who?"

He withdrew his hand for a moment, pinching his fingers at the knuckle one at a time nervously. "I'm...not sure you want to know."

"Let me be the judge of what I do and do not want to hear, please. I already told you I'm a big girl."

He nodded compliantly, smirking just a little. Probably happy that she was still in decent enough spirits about the situation to give him a little bit of sass. Unfortunately, his smile was short lived, and her spirits were on a thin rope.

"D-do you remember when I said the reason why I became a knight was because of a promise I made?"

Oh, right. The promise he had made with a certain _special someone_ in the past. "Yes. With a girlfriend of yours."

"Girlfr..." His jaw hung open and he blinked a few times before rapidly shaking his head in denial so fast surely he must have just made himself dizzy. "N-no! It wasn't..."

"But you said it was a special person. A girl. Surely you must have had some sort of relationship together in order to hold a promise with her so dear."

"I...wouldn't really say that we had much of a relationship. I only met her the one time, and not for very long."

Why was it actually not so surprising that Sora of all people would enter into some life-long binding promise with someone he had only just met? Maybe because he was throwing so much unbelievable stuff her way that this was the first thing that made her just give up, shrug and think 'yeah, that sounds about right.'

"She...must have fought incredibly hard to get away from whatever had been chasing her. I don't know how long she had been struggling to stay alive, just to keep breathing. When I found her, even though I was really little I knew; she didn't have a lot of time left. It was horrible."

Kairielis chewed on her bottom lip, struggling not to throw away every inhibition and accept his hand, then hug the pain of that memory away from him. "I'm sorry..."

"I think, if there is a force of fate or destiny out there, it _must_ have led me there. Because she wasn't alone. She...also had her..." He lowered his eyes to the dirt. "She had her daughter wrapped up tight in her arms. She asked me to promise I would keep her daughter safe, to not let anything hurt her any more. She must have been really desperate to ask a kid like me, but I knew I had to do my best to fulfill that promise anyway. I remember the last thing she said was how happy she was that she could at least hold her daughter...and...that's how she..."

Silence fell in the rapidly approaching dusk. Even the cicadas had fallen silent now.

She didn't want to ask.

Kairielis wanted everything to go back to normal. A small gust of wind brought with it the faraway scent of sunflowers. And she wished that she could go there, to the sunflower sea, swinging away on the little island without a care in the world. With him laughing next to her, telling her all sorts of stories about the town and the people within it.

She didn't want to ask, but she had to.

"Sora...please don't tell me..."

His hands shook. And his downcast eyes said far more than his words ever could.

But all she could feel was fear.

"That...that isn't funny. My mother loved me, Sora! She would _never_ have purposefully stolen my ability from me!" The more she thought about it, the more hot anger surged up from her stomach like acid in her throat. Burning tears poured out from her eyes.

It was like a betrayal, ripping into her heart. "H-how dare you. How _dare_ you!"

She didn't even want to use his handkerchief to staunch her tears anymore. She balled it up into her fist, hurling it at the blurry outline of his shape. "Are you suggesting my _mother!_ On _purpose_? Are you suggesting that all those people who spit on her name, saying she willfully betrayed us all for her own selfish desires were _right!?_ "

"Hold on a minute I never said any of that!" A ripple of frustration crossed his face, which only fueled her own fire even further. He had no right to tell her any of this, to even suggest such a thing!

"I _refuse_ to believe that she did that. _I refuse!_ " Her anger bubbled up further in her stomach, sour and painful. She turned to stomp off to lock herself in her room, knowing it would feel very satisfying to slam a door right about now.

"Please, Kairi!" His desperate voice caused her to halt, his previous frustration evaporated once he realized she was serious.

"I know it's not what you wanted to hear but I'm begging you to please just listen! Even though you lost the light before we met, you got it back! I don't know how, I don't know why, but you did. You even saved my life when you-"

"Stop it."

She tried to swallow back her anger, but it was a meaningless effort. She couldn't take it any more. She just couldn't believe any of this. If she believed him, it meant her mother really was everything that they chattered and murmured behind her back. A traitor. A selfish fool who had risked everything. Better off dead. Their words were poison. If Sora's story was true, it could mean they were justified in dragging her mother's name through the mud.

She could never allow that.

But yet, in his typical stubborn way, he was refusing to back down.

"Kairi...your light is way stronger than they think. Your mother too. All of us hugged each other through the scary times because we loved one another. That was the strength that guided us. Your mother hugged you because she loved you! And even then, your light came back, I think brighter than ever. It won't fade from someone, especially not a friend, holding your hand. I really, really believe that."

Once more, he reached out gently towards her desperately, his palm facing the sky. "You don't have to stay trapped any more! If you take my hand we can show them! You don't need to get married or have a child right away. We can go out to the town and meet all sorts of people! I'll bring you to-"

"Don't!...don't touch me."

He blinked, looking like she had just splashed cold water in his face. And when the realization of her refusal dawned on him, never had she seen him look so absolutely crushed. He sagged, eyes downcast, apologizing to her shoes over and over as if he was now ashamed to even look at her.

"I...I'm sorry, I..."

"Why would you tell me all these horrible things!? One awful thing after the other!? You know that I can't... _even if_ everything you said about my mother and about my light was true, you could never be completely sure I can actually touch anyone! That's just you guessing and hoping it's true! You _know_ I can't take a risk like that. I already told you!"

Another tear ripped into the fabric of her heart.

"Kairi..." It looked like he was struggling not to cry. Guilt and pain twisted into her stomach like a knife, but she couldn't stop her anger and fear from pouring out of her mouth like an out of control torrent of water tumbling off a cliff.

"Why didn't you listen to me this morning!? How many times do I have to tell you!? Every time you try to say there's a way out, that there's some way to save me, it only makes it hurt more!"

He stuttered, his chin trembling. "K-Kairi, it's not-"

"Stop calling me that! I'm not Kairi! Kairi is dead! She died that day and is never coming back! I don't want to hear that name ever again!"

She regretted it the second she said it. He didn't move. Didn't speak. Just kept staring at her with those huge, innocent eyes, looking as lost as a puppy who had just been kicked in the nose and could only blink back at his attacker in disbelief.

The shadows in the garden grew longer, engulfing everything in a haze of dusk and uncertainty.

He finally spoke, his voice much more firm and confident than she expected. "You'll always be Kairi to me. Not a princess. Not anyone else but you."

She burst into tears, clumsily scraping her hands across her eyes. All she wanted was to be alone. She started to run, stumbling, down off the grassy hill towards her room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sora turn to follow her, and she spun to face him while still backing away one wobbling step after the other step.

"G-get away from me!"

"I...can't. I promised I would-"

She dug her heels into the grass and smeared her tears in a wet sticky mess across her face again.

"But you have to do as I say! Whether you like it or not. Whether you want to admit it or not, I _am_ a princess. And you're nothing but a...st-stupid boy masquerading as a knight!" She turned her face away, unable to look into his hurt expression. "Now kneel!"

"W-what?"

"I said to kneel! I order you to leave me alone! Don't follow me any more!"

She expected him to protest, even just a little, but he said nothing, did nothing. He was just a statue, frozen under the lazily dancing branches of the oak tree. His hands were now limply drooping at his side, all his usual sprightly energy evaporated under her scorching scorn. Why had she said something so horrible? She knew she was wrong. That this was all wrong.

Tears poured freely from her eyes, and she almost wished that he would say something. That he would keep fighting her. Because deep down inside she knew that if he was still fighting, that meant he still cared. That he hadn't given up on her.

"W...well!?"

Kairielis could no longer see his eyes, buried under the chestnut brown spikes on his bowed head. Shadows covered the ground. Night had come. And she could see him struggling.

His hands shook, and he clenched his fist once. Twice. He had been fighting against the raging current of the ocean, this entire time barely keeping his head above water. But now he started to sag, as if a heavy anchor tied around his neck was winning the battle against his endurance and he could no longer hide from its pull. It yanked him with unforgiving abandon down under the surface of the stormy sea, deep into the forgotten dark depths. His lungs gave one final pleading gasp, but she couldn't hear him. Hope spent, he sank.

...And he kneeled.

"As you wish, your highness."

Her title had never sounded so sickening. The fragile image of happiness she so desired shattered like glass into an endless number of pieces, cursed and broken, strewn about her feet.

Her heart did the same.

She didn't even realize she had started to run until she had already made it through the archway into the hall. Gasping and choking for breath, feet crashing and pattering down the corridor, she stumbled. At some point one of her shoes tripped her, and she thumped heavily to the carpet. Her hands slapped the ground with a wet smack. But she didn't feel a thing. She just ripped her heel off, hurled it away from her and continued on.

Kairielis didn't stop until she had collapsed, sobbing, into her bed sheets. They twisted and caught around her fist and she yanked at her trapped arm. Why was everything a lie? Her father's words, her past, her mother, even the duke she was meant to marry. Sora was supposed to be the one thing she could count on to be truthful. The one sincere light that had been helping her navigate this mess. But a cold pail of water had doused everything, and truly washed it all away.

Realizing she had never given Sora the command to rise, she wondered if he was now rigidly following the rules, kneeling in the dirt, waiting. Because he was Mr. dutifully-following-his-orders-now! Her throat clenched tight and she choked on her own breath.

...she had told him not to follow. As a direct order from the princess.

If only she could disappear. For countless hours she was wrapped in that endless sorrow until her consciousness faded into a haze of tears and regret.

* * *

Riku stood at the edge of the courtyard. He had a feeling he'd find him here. Even through the darkness of the night he could vaguely make out the Sora-shaped blob slumped over in the dirt. Riku also had a feeling things would turn out like this. But it wouldn't do to point out that, yet again, his warnings hadn't been heeded and, yet again, things had only gotten worse. More importantly, he worried Sora might not take a rejection like that all too well.

Slowly approaching his friend, he eyed Sora's dozing form, slightly bemused. While he expected most of this outcome, he still couldn't figure out why Sora had chosen to make the ground here his bed. Surely it wasn't comfortable in that position.

He reached over and tapped Sora gently on the shoulder. His friend sat up with a gasp, accidentally inhaling a bit of his own drool and spluttered into a brief coughing fit. Nothing a couple slaps on the back couldn't fix.

When it looked like his friend could breathe again, Riku offered him a hand up off the ground, but Sora hesitated. All at once it looked like the recollection of his conversation with the princess had just hit him, and he remained sitting morosely in the dirt.

"Riku...I think I messed up..."

"Yeah. I figured as much when you didn't come back to the bunk." Riku dropped himself down by his side, deciding it was probably better not to delve into the gritty details just yet. And while his friend still seemed shaken, Riku knew him better than that. "But you're not giving up on her, I take it?"

"Nope. Not ever." Sora lifted his chin up triumphantly, wiping dirt and whatever else had gotten on him while he slept off his face.

It was the answer Riku expected to hear, but he was glad to hear it all the same.

"Just making sure, though...you didn't do anything _too_ stupid, did you?"

A brief flush of indignation darted across his friends face, but didn't linger. Instead, he moaned and flopped back onto the ground, sending up a puff of dry dust.

"Define stupid."

 _Great_ , that boded well. "...did you touch her?"

Sora spent a while staring up at the constellations sparkling above them without answering. This time of year, it was possible to see the formation of The Bole, otherwise known as the World Tree. It was meant to be like a mother, spreading its boughs to her children below to offer protection, aid and guidance. Sora could probably use some of that right about now. Not that Riku personally believed in any of that astrology nonsense though, but it had been an interesting read one long night shift. And it never hurt to keep the mind open to possibility.

Riku waited until Sora sorted his thoughts out enough to speak up, trying not to let his concern bleed through. No matter if there was a world tree watching over them or not, he knew he needed to be just as sturdy and supportive as one himself. Wordless and waiting.

His friend took a deep breath, and finally opened up.

"I told her everything. Offered her my hand, but she didn't take it."

It took everything inside him not to outright chastise him right there, but he steadied himself and rubbed his eyes, letting Sora continue without an interruption.

"I didn't touch her but I wanted to. _Really_ badly." He groaned again and slumped his arms to the ground above his head, pushing another cloud of dust out with them. "It's like every time I look at her I'm losing all my self control. I've never felt that way before. Everything feels so...fuzzy. Then, little by little I slowly stop caring about all the stupid rules."

"Heh..." He couldn't help it, and put a mocking hand on his chest, as if lost in nostalgia. "They grow up so fast..."

Sora's expression soured. "S-shut up. Aren't you supposed to be helping?"

"Alright then, get up. We're going to meet someone." Hoisting himself up he dusted off his own outfit with a few well-placed pats.

Confused, Sora glanced up at the dark sky and the vast constellations still twinkling within it. "Meet someone? Isn't it super late by now?"

"You want to help her, right? Then you'll need to come with me." Riku extended a hand, but his friend still hesitated, chewing a little on the corner of his mouth.

"Wher-"

"Come on already, I'll explain on the way. We need to get moving. And you need to be resolved to do whatever if takes, even if its difficult."

Sora steeled himself, nodded, and attempted to try standing, but he suddenly wobbled and flopped back down heavily to the ground, slight shame washing over his face. "Uh...I think my legs fell asleep..."

...and yet _again_ Riku was not surprised.

"Well why the hell were you even sleeping out here?"

Sora jabbed a finger sheepishly into the sandy ground, burying it up to his first knuckle. "She told me to kneel then never told me I could stand up, so I was kinda stuck. I didn't mean to fall asleep..."

Without hesitation, Riku gave that little dork of a friend exactly what he deserved: a hearty flick to the forehead.

"Ow! Hey..." Sora rubbed at his new sore spot and frowned incredulously.

Still a sap. Still the same old Sora. What a relief.

But Riku decided it was no longer worth trying to fight any of this. His friend was in this far too deep, and it was too late to turn back from any of this now. They had to see this through. Both of them, for better or for worse.

* * *

For once, she didn't remember her nightmares. But her aching head from the tossing and turning all night long, and the stickiness of the sweat-stained sheets made it very clear she hadn't escaped them. If anything, it was the worst sleep of her life.

If she struggled, the only bits she could recall were gushing streams of darkness, screaming, and the inexplicably strong scent of chamomile. Not something she wanted to fight to remember, really.

She remained flopped back in her bed, her legs splayed out in front of her. Even though she had been awake for a while now she couldn't muster up the slightest smidgen of energy to pull herself up, let alone get dressed and ready for the day. Could today be canceled? Tomorrow too?

A light knock at the door sent her jolting up, and she scrambled to free herself from the sticky death grip of the fabric wrapped around half her body. They were here already. Sora was just on the other side of that door. _If_ he was brave enough to face her today, she would march right up to him and look him right in those bright eyes of his and…and...

...likely crumble into an undignified mess of tears.

Ugh, what was she even going to say to him? Just pretend nothing happened yesterday? As if that was going to work…

More than anything she wanted to apologize. She wanted to scream and beg for him to forgive her for lashing out in such a stupid, emotional, uncaring way. Yet that still didn't stop her from feeling sullen and baffled by everything he had told her. It was all too fresh, just the idea of it.

She had no idea what she was going to do. But running from it wasn't really going to change the truth. Whatever the truth really _was_. No matter what had been told to her, the one thing she had decided amidst all the tears, and fearful jolts awake through stormy dreams, was that she needed to know the truth. And Riku had been right.

 _"Sometimes the truth is more difficult to accept than a finely crafted lie."_

He really was offering a warning of what was to come. He must have been opposed to even saying anything about this to her but Sora just charged ahead like a stupid, stubborn…

It was undeniable. He was both of those things. But that stupid stubbornness was what made him so wonderful. Red and sore, her eyes had not yet recovered from the night and the fresh tears stung.

The knock at her door returned, still just as tentative and soft as before, and she weakly called out to it.

"I...I'm here. I'll get up now..."

It was more effort than she expected just to heave herself out of bed, and throw on a simple dress. She didn't even bother with her hair this morning. Maybe if she looked like a slob when she had to go meet Hans for tea after the ritual he would decide he didn't like her and leave...

Fat chance.

She gulped, and swung open her door, blinking out into the dazing morning light gleaming towards her, blinding her vision for a moment.

"First of all, I just wanted to say-"

Someone grunted.

And the large, boulder-sized guard looming over her, casting a shadow across the hall was not who she expected at all.

"Wh...why are you…?"

The world spun, and the only thing she could focus on were the forms of her two former personal guards, Eleaus and Dilan, occupying the only place she never wanted to see them in again. In the one place she never wanted anyone else to be.

"...Why aren't they...here...?"

Dilan wordlessly tightened the strap on his gloves, his thick twists of rough black hair still as twine-like as she remembered, while Eleaus, even more silent than his partner, seemed content just keeping his eyes closed in meditation. And her confusion gave way to frustration.

"Answer already!"

But she knew they weren't going to say a thing. They never had before, so why should they have changed? The best she would get was that grunt from earlier. Unmatched fury coursed through her body and she took off running down the hall, straight for Ienzo's room. She couldn't stand being ignored and toyed with any further. If there was anyone who had a record of what was going on, it was him. There was vaguely a protest shouted after her from one of the knights she had left behind, but that didn't matter.

Nothing else mattered right now.

She pounded her fist into the hardwood of the records room furiously. Everything was silent on the other end and she growled. Why was no one going to answer her today!?

Nope, nope, nope. If he thought he could lock her out, _oh_ is he going to have another think coming. He was _not_ locking her out. Not. Now.

She unleashed everything she could onto the poor door, shaking it in its frame, shouting, kicking, rattling the doorknob repetitively. Until finally, _finally_ , she heard the latch being lifted open from the other side and it creaked open to reveal a face with the same repressed exasperation as someone trying to teach Berlioz how not to claw the curtain for the seventieth time.

Before Ienzo could even speak she had already started in on him, her voice so loud it echoed down the hallway, turning the heads of several cleaning staff who were sweeping up.

"What is the meaning behind _this_?" She gestured angrily to the two guards who had now filed up behind her after her mad dash through the castle.

Ienzo's eye definitely twitched, his voice dripping with early morning disdain. "... _your highness_ , your personal guard is meant to follow you for-"

"You know what I mean!"

Opening the door further, he sighed and stepped back to allow her into the room. She immediately charged in and dropped herself down onto one of the large armchairs to await her past due explanation. Crossing both her arms and legs she stared him down.

Ienzo mumbled something indecipherable, grabbed for a book and flipped through a few pages until he got to a spare piece of parchment tucked inside. "If her highness is referring to the changing of her guards, may I remind her that this was only done as per her own orders..."

The parchment slipped easily out from between the pages and he held it aloft. She dashed over to snatch it from his grip.

"I did no such thing!"

A cursory glance down at the paper told her nothing, so she squinted in order to try and scrutinize it more carefully. Wading through the verbose flowery garbage proved fruitless until the very last section.

" _As_ _it follows, this knight_ _reported feeling his presence was ultimately a hindrance to her highness' happiness and_ _per her orders to, as was quoted, 'stop following me', wishes to_ _voluntarily withdr_ _a_ _w his position. The second_ _of the guard_ _subsequently followed,_ _stating he couldn't in good conscience_ _-"_

Kairielis jabbed her finger in offense at the parchment, which made Ienzo visibly wince as her nails scraped against the thin material. " _Voluntarily withdraw_!? Does that mean they are...gone? F-forever? Because they..."

 _...because they gave up on me?_

"They are still knights, of course, merely reassigned. Their resignation was only for the post of-"

No. She wasn't letting them go.

"I rescind the resignation! Immediately!"

"I'm afraid that isn't possible." Ienzo glared at her sharply. "After all, there shouldn't be any reason to want any guards over any others, correct? Any is as good as any other."

"I...I know, but..."

Her stomach twisted even further; her sweat ran cold. There was a painful, throb in her chest, as vicious and restrictive as a snake wrapped around her heart, squeezing hard. Whatever anger and denial she had before was now eroded away by its venom, leaving her with nothing but this miserable creature born of guilt choking her every breath.

Ienzo started to list rules. Laws. Statues and addendum after addendum. Any other sort of ordinance in the book, but the words only thudded heavily through her mind like lead weights stacking up on her head. It all meant the same thing.

Sora really had listened to her orders, and stopped following her.

He left her alone.

 _If I had taken his hand...would today be any different?_

Even though he was still somewhere in the castle for now, there was no telling where he might be sent off to next. There was a chance they could cross paths again, but she knew that wasn't a guarantee. The kingdom was vast, and the number of tasks they could assign to someone in his position were just as plentiful.

She might never see him again.

But for the first time in what felt like forever, the tears refused to fall. It was impossible to know what would happen in the days to come, but her resolve was as sure as stone. If Sora thought he could run away that easily he was mistaken. He might be one stupid, stubborn boy, but she was just as headstrong, just as relentless. And as enigmatic as the past was to her right now, she was not going to also give up on the future.

It was all she had.


	13. Ch 13: It Started with a Letter

**A/N: I just wanted to say sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter. I had some exams to study for, and there was also an...unfortunate "incident" with the Doc Editor...**

 **(aka- it deleted about three days worth of edits...and I kinda lost my will to work on it for a bit.)**

 **So...yeah. This chapter is a bit messy, late, and for that I apologize. Hopefully you'll still stick with me.**

 **-A. Moth**

* * *

 _Few who request my tales are searching for the mundane. None demand the simple daily happenings of life. They are far more interested in the swashbuckling rescue of a maiden in distress, the dramatic and fortuitous return of a loved one once thought dead, or the sugar sweet romance of a first kiss. Eventually I will get the chance to chronicle my tale of the most disastrously monstrous load of laundry to some wide-eyed scullery maid...but today is not that day._

 _Rest easy adventure lovers, I can assure you with utmost sincerity, all of those exciting events and more will soon came to pass! So there's no need for any fretting or brooding. You there, I said stop fidgeting! You're being quite a distraction, you know._

 _Ahem!_

 _Bear with me, if you can, because before I can recount for you those most exciting times, we have something to discuss. It is an important lesson, mind you! Vital, even!_

 _I can already hear the complaints ringing in my ears. The cries that tell me please, Montblanc, oh how we want to hear the truth behind the fall of the Kingdom of the Seven Gardens, the former beacon of light! And what a riveting tale it will be, too._

 _Yet trust me when I tell you that story will mean nothing if you do not first comprehend the importance of one very important letter, penned by yours truly that, as I was later told, had been stored for many years in an old brick laying manual. No offense to brick layers, of course, but I'll admit I had a laugh when I realized the item that would set forth the wheels of destiny, and mark the beginning of the end for an entire royal dynasty had been stored in something so innocuously dull. A letter painstakingly penned with intention to be the foundation of some future treasonous plot, stored at the start of a final chapter titled 'The Best Laid Plans...All about Brickwork', that eventually helped break down a tyranny of lies and deceit. Is there something ironic to be found there? Perhaps._

 _But it is about time now for me to explain. I apologize in advance for my coughing, and beg you not to transcribe it if you can. Everything else, though - every other word that comes out of my mouth you had better take down dutifully, young man!_

 _...Do pardon me if my memory fails now and again. It was so long ago..._

 _Though I suppose that's why you're making this record then, eh? So you can still be amused by my stories long after I croak. Ah, you're not laughing. Too grim? I understand._

 _Now listening closely. My only fee for my tale, of course, is your rapt attention and unending refills of this delicious cordial..._

* * *

The goblet containing the last remaining swill of elderberry wine clattered against the rough stone as Beatrix leaned backwards into the wall, craning her neck upward at the barely visible constellations past the arching roof of the tea house.

"I'm going to resign, Montblanc. There's just no sense in it any more."

Stunned, the records keeper momentarily stopped to readjust his favorite fluffy orange pom-pom topped poof of a hat before managing to splutter out a response.

"E-even after all you've already given up to protect-"

Beatrix slammed her unwanted drink to rest on top of the wall and flicked her voluminous hair over her shoulder, making sure to reveal the heavy bandages plastered on the right side of her face.

"I am well aware of the sacrifices I've made."

Despite the patch covering part of her features and her one eye, there was no mistaking the ferocity in her expression.

"I gave my oaths to protect the people, not sit idly by while they practically handicap an innocent right under my nose! Then tell me it's somehow _justified_."

The wine had clearly gotten to her head, so Montblanc tried not to ruffle her any further. He rose out of his cushion laden chair and shuffled over to a desk cluttered with papers, fishing for something in particular, humming as he did so.

"I have no doubts you are serious. After all, your unwavering dedication to true justice is your most admirable trait, _kupo_."

The records keeper had an unfortunate recurring cough that pestered him something fierce. Despite a constant regiment of herbal teas, nothing really soothed it. But most had already grown accustomed to the chronic high-pitched squeaking addendum to his speech and refrained from comment.

Beatrix waited for his coughing to calm before she continued.

"So then you understand that a kingdom who would order something so... _despicabl_ e isn't the same kingdom I swore to serve! I was tasked with keeping our people safe, and even though it cost a part of me I'll never get back, I never hesitated once."

She gestured sharply towards her missing eye.

Montblanc lowered his head, nodding along in agreement as he continued to search for something among the scattered parchment. Yep. The wine was talking.

"Then they tell me our future is in danger, and that one young girl is the only key to saving the princess' light. 'It's for the greater good', they argued!"

She yelled out, her face flush with the rosy hue of adrenaline and slight drunkenness.

"When I told her to go along with them I had no idea they were going to... _change_ her. I don't know _what_ they did to her, but she went with them a normal, albeit frightened girl, and came back out...unable to walk, unable to even speak! How is that justified!?"

Beatrix pushed away from the wall, slamming her fist hard into the stone. "If they think it is fair to idly lead an innocent to slaughter in order to save the kingdom, then maybe this isn't a kingdom worth saving!"

Montblanc took a deep breath and fiddled with the orange pom on his hat, re-positioning it over his wavy blond coiffure. "And the people in this kingdom, ignorant of that decision? Are they still worth saving?"

His question rattled her to the core and she slumped into a nearby chair, nearly knocking over the tiny tea table next to it. "They...are the only thing I will continue to fight for. And until I make things right with that girl...it must be reversible somehow! Surely?"

While her question was rhetorical, the records keeper considered it all the same.

"Perhaps."

It was only one word, but it snapped Beatrix's head upwards to rapt attention.

"What do you know? Tell me." Her voice was demanding and harsh but Montblanc was used to such things with her and didn't let it trouble him.

"I only have one...somewhat unfounded theory. Honestly, I know almost as little as you. Even though I am record keeper they kept me out of that experimentation room. 'No records!' they practically screamed at me. Shoved the doors shut. Still have the bruise to prove it..." He rubbed the side of his arm and squished his face up painfully. "I had to redact _everything_ from the books— _kupo_!"

Montblanc momentarily paused to let out another hefty cough. "Yet it is possible there may be a way to remove the girl's curse, Bea."

"For the last time, it's Beatrix."

Montblanc adjusted the white frills of his jacket cuffs, accepting her brief scolding before holding aloft what he had been searching his desk for: a set of thick cards adorned with images of constellations and beautifully detailed illustrations.

"Ta-da!"

The general glared at him silently.

Montblanc merrily returned to his seat and settled his rump down into the soft leather. "Do you know much about fortune telling?"

Beatrix continued to regard her friend quietly before shaking her head. "Only that peddlers often use it to prey on the superstitious, and it takes real gods-given talent to be even remotely decent at the practice."

"Yes, well..."

Leaning over the small tea table, he spread the cards out for her to examine more closely. Beatrix leaned over and lifted one up after the other, admiring the hand-drawn images. The deck must have been crafted with painstaking effort by someone truly inspired. A real artisan's handiwork.

"I don't recognize many of these symbols, but I know the names of the deities marked on them. And while this is all very interesting..."

" _Kupopo!_ " The records keeper cleared his throat, and pulled seven cards out of the deck to display side by side, already ready with the answers she craved.

"Behold! The intricate design of the seven suits of fortune. Each one represents a constellation and the deity associated with it. For example..." Montblanc trapped a card marked with a blazing red sun under his fingertip and slid it forward from the rest.

"Azeyma and The Balance, the constellation meant to bring, of course, balance. To correct injustice through ultimate, fiery judgment. One of your favorites, yes?"

Beatrix lifted heavy eyelashes at him. "Montblanc...please get to the point. I've had a trying day."

Montblanc suppressed another cough and pushed forward a second card, this one adorned with a blue pot of water. "The Ewer and the deity of Nymeia. Both represent the flow of life, and the energy and fate that connects us all together. Truly a mysterious, yet wonderful card I think."

"And…?"

"On the day they took Namine away for that...experiment, or whatever nonsense they did to her, a special guest was invited to the castle. I met her, briefly, before she was swept off elsewhere and I was shut out of the proceedings." Montblanc closed his eyes, recalling the memory like a picture in his mind. "She was a quiet girl, seemed very mature for her age. Didn't say more than a few words. Before we parted, she stealthily slipped me this deck of cards, with The Ewer in particular flipped inverted among the rest."

Beatrix lifted the card up from the table, giving it a second, more thorough examination. But she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. It looked perfectly normal. Or, as perfectly normal as a card from a fortune telling deck could look, anyway.

"Is there a hidden code written on it somewhere?"

"Not as far as I could find. But knowing the _meaning_ of the card, I can't help but wonder..." Montblanc rolled his fingers along the arm of his chair, relishing in the even puttering sound it made.

"The meaning? You mean the water of life?" She brushed over the image of the cup on the face of the card, but Montblanc tutted.

"I believe the meaning goes deeper than that. Something that connects us together as living beings. Perhaps she wanted us to seek out someone connected to her, or connected to Namine."

Sinking back into her chair, Beatrix regarded the records keeper over her folded hands. "But what do you even know of this girl? Other than her being a fortune teller?"

The records keeper sighed and leaned back himself, snuggling into the pillows a bit. "I only know her name: Ellone. From that brief meeting I felt such a general melancholy about her, like she wasn't expecting the days events to end well for her."

A gust of strong wind rattled the roof of the tea house, bringing with it a sudden chill. The wind clawed at the rafters before groaning away, its voice full of sorrow. To the two unlikely friends inside, it seemed as though nature itself was bemoaning the times, disturbed and pained by the past. Montblanc leapt up to fasten the latch on the window before the approaching storm decided it wanted to drop in for tea.

Thankfully nearby they had a hearth merrily crackling away to keep them warm.

Once the shutters were securely locked in place, he returned sighed back down into his seat. "...Sure enough, I never saw that girl again. I can only imagine she also fell victim to this madness..."

Beatrix uttered a sound of disgust and flicked the card of Ewer back down onto the table. "Yet another innocent."

"Despite my best efforts—which you should know were quite thorough-our fortune teller has vanished entirely. Her name they ordered me to forcibly redact from every record. I don't know if she was killed, but they certainly wanted to kill her identity. If by some miracle she is alive somewhere..."

The general understood immediately. "Find Ellone, and she may be able to fix what was done?"

Montblanc shrugged. "It's all conjecture. But she must hold the key to it all. The Ewer is fate. Destiny. Memory."

He gathered the cards up and tapped on the top of them one more time. "If you want the answer, I believe you must look here. Beyond the logical, beyond reality, to what only could make sense within the realm of magic."

The general rolled her eyes and folded one of her long slender legs over the other, bouncing her foot idly in the air. "I much prefer something I can actually do myself rather than blindly trusting a pack of playing cards."

"A true woman of action until the end, _kupo!_ That's what I like to hear!"

The wind rattled the roof again before hissing through the nearby trees. Something about the stormy weather and screeching gale made them both feel somewhat insignificant but at the same time thankful that they could shield themselves from it, as thin as the walls of their shelter were.

Unfortunately, not all storms were as simple to hide from.

Montblanc glanced towards the window, listening to some nearby branches clack against it under the rough winds. "My friend...I hope you are aware of the potential dangers that seeking these answers could bring, yes?"

Beatrix answered with her eyes, shining back at him clear and resolute. Both of them knew. To go against the orders of the crown, to attempt to dig up information that was purposefully suppressed was not going to be looked upon fondly. The king had ordered Namine taken away because he claimed it was the only way to save his daughter. And if picking at the scab of this wound would potentially endanger the princess again, any punishment they could receive for meddling would be magnitudes greater. Possibly life imprisonment at best, but far more likely...

Far more likely it would mean death.

"I have fought through hordes of darkness to uphold what I feel is true and just! I have clashed and defeated men whom I once regarded as comrades and felt their blood on my face!"

Beatrix rose from the chair, pushing her chin up elegantly into the air. Her will shimmering with the same light as the night stars above. It was obvious to the records keeper that her reputation was well-founded. The May Rose, a woman who was as beautiful as she was covered in pointed thorns.

"I fear nothing!"

"Right, then!" The records keeper cheered, bobbing his head up and down, jiggling the fluffy orange pom on his hat. "Treason it is! Oh, how very exciting!"

His childishly enthusiastic chuckle at such a grim time startled the general out of her ferocious stance. She covered her one good eye with her hand, sighing heavily.

" _Must_ you say it like that? Out loud? This tea house isn't exactly the most... _private_ place."

Ignoring her completely, Montblanc practically skipped over to his desk. He shuffled around the papers again until he found a small button hidden under a hollow rock on his desk and rapped it decisively. A compartment in the side of the thinnest drawer popped open and his pinching fingers skillfully pried out a letter from the narrow opening.

"Now, you stated earlier you wish to resign as general, yes? Perhaps I could convince you to stave off on that for just a while longer. I may be able to secure your transfer as a private guard for a certain young lady instead, after reconstruction efforts have wrapped up."

Beatrix furrowed her brow, and jabbed a finger back down at the deck of fortune cards still resting on the small tea table. "And what of Ellone?"

"I have already planted a seed. One that I hope will sprout into the mightiest of mighty trees, offering us the bountiful fruit of knowledge and-"

"Oh do stop it with that drivel. I'm not a giddy child listening to a ballad."

Montblanc huffed. And coughed.

"- _Kupo!_ Fine, fine. If I'm succinct: we need to be very patient for my plan to work out. Patient and _incredibly_ lucky. Because even if every piece moves as it should, there is still a chance the results will not be in our favor."

Beatrix flipped her hair over her shoulder, somehow looking even more determined than before. "I understand patience. It often marks the difference between victory and failure on the battlefield. It stands to reason that now the answers we seek will be closely guarded. But given a few years, vigilance may falter...and that is when we will be most able to strike!"

"Indeed! But lately they have been very wary of me in particular poking my nose in where I shouldn't be. Suggestions have been circulating of my...soon-to-be recommended retirement."

The records keeper allowed a touch of regret pass across his face, but he quickly shook it off with a wiggle of his head, bouncing the orange pom-pom on his hat back and forth almost comically.

"Then...you are to be replaced?" Beatrix surmised, her normal stone cold expression softened slightly.

"Eventually. But maybe this is for the best. Any replacement of mine will be under less scrutiny to investigate should he choose to." He jabbed one finger triumphantly into the air. "And! I already have my eye on my successor. Brilliant lad. Young and _curious_."

He rubbed his hands together eagerly. With a flourish, he then directed her attention towards one small volume amidst all the other dusty parchment in the corner of the room.

"I've already left him a tiny clue among the redacted sections of the history report. Should he come across it I have no doubt he is going to wiggle his way into the truth!"

The records keeper smirked and tugged on his green tunic as if proud of his himself, but the general looked far less than pleased.

"...And you expect me to sit around and wait for someone else to fish around for the answer, then hope that whoever it is decides to fill me in afterwards?"

Montblanc clicked his tongue and waggled the small paper he had fished out of his desk earlier up in the air, extending it towards her. "Thaaaat's where this comes in!"

"...A letter?" Her skepticism was palpable.

"Not just any letter, Bea! Within this letter is-" Montblanc caught the look on his friend's face and coughed nervously, " _Beatrix._ Beatrix is what I meant to say. _Kupo._ "

He pushed the envelope towards her again. "You see, what this letter has is _leverage_. If you show the next records keeper, he should offer up any information you choose."

"...You mean blackmail?"

"The more personal the better! Like I said, I've been vetting my future successor, digging up all manner of nonsense he would particularly hate to be made public. I've worded it...carefully. From one records keeper to another. _Kupo!_ "

She reached out and hesitantly accepted the envelope, raising it up to the light to try and spy on the contents inside. "Am I not to read it?"

"What do they call an imp with three missing fingers, now? A curious one." He tutted and tugged on his ruffled sleeves once more. "Your role in this is to wait patiently until you have reason to believe he may have something of interest to say. Mind you, it will only work once as surely he will burn this letter upon receiving it..."

Beatrix scoffed. "Lovely."

Despite her outward flippancy, she very carefully tucked the letter away in an inner pouch of her jacket. "So...watch and wait. And then?"

"Then, when you get enough answers, hopefully you can play the part of daring knight, and right the wrongs that so pain you, Bea."

She opened her mouth to correct him again, but paused. "Montblanc...if this works, I'll never bother you about that blasted nickname again."

The records keeper was so pleased his hat wobbled a few times with his cheery grin. "Wonderful! If it works I'll make you call me Monty! What an exciting time!"

"But I do have one question. Why? Why go through all this trouble for my sake?"

Montblanc's grin never faded, and he laid a hand on his now triumphantly puffed-out chest. "In all my life, I've always dreamed of being a deus ex machina. And now I finally can get a chance! We're in this together, you and I."

Clicking her tongue, and feeling quite finished with the matter, Beatrix stomped towards the exit of the tea house, making sure to snatch up her sword from its place leaning against the wall.

She was ready now to venture out into the brewing storm.

"You are dramatic and ridiculous, Montblanc."

"Oh-ho! Says the woman who immediately power-read through an entire chess master guide book because she lost a friendly match against me once!"

His retort not ignored, Beatrix directed one final flick of her hair towards him. "Exactly. _Once._ "

* * *

 _As I said, that letter would only come to light many years after our conversation, but what a brilliant debut it made. My dear friend Beatrix, having suspicions that they knew more about Namine than their appearances would suggest, invited those two unusual knights she had been keeping an eye on up for a chat. Namine had been signing all of her fever dream drawings with the name 'Sora' and she was quite determined to finally get to the bottom of things._

 _In that meeting, Sora confirmed something that Beatrix had been greatly suspicious of for some time. But it all defied logic. Defied all common sense, really. And it was at that point she distinctly recalled a certain deck of cards, and a letter she had been saving for just this occasion._

 _She pulled it out of its dusty library prison with a dramatic flourish! Then the three of them marched straight for Ienzo's office, and set the whole thing in motion._

 _Why, if it weren't for my letter the three of them would perhaps have never weaseled out from my successor exactly what made Namine so special. Or about the poor girl with the power to fix it all who had been cruelly imprisoned in the temple basement for years._

 _It confirmed every last theory they had, and gave them an answer on where next to turn._

 _We can all say, without a doubt, their subsequent treasonous actions changed everything. It sealed the fate of the former Kingdom. For only a few short days after my letter emerged from those dusty pages of the Brick Laying Manual within which it was kept, the Kingdom we had once all held so dear would crumble to dust._

 _And it would be no more._

 _But before we lay any hindsight-imbued judgment upon their souls, we must consider what bravery they must have possessed to rise against an entire kingdom. They all stood proudly, facing death itself to attempt to change the future by first unlocking the past._

 _Sacrifices of that nature will not be forgotten._

 _Now, before I get to the action you all so crave, may I please beseech you for yet another fill of drink? My flagon seems to have run empty…_

 _..._

 _-Excerpts from "The Lost Kingdom"_

 _The Final Narrative Memoir of Montblanc Centurio,_

 _Former Records Keeper of the Gardens_

 _(As transcribed by his young ward, here unnamed)_

* * *

"I am well prepared for my fate. It has been a long time coming. But you two..."

The former general glanced forlornly at the two knights lingering silently near the large bay windows that looked out across the fields of sunflowers. However, the current night air was so thick with darkness that none of the flowers were visible beneath the black swath.

None of the information the three of them had just learned felt like it could be real, but no amount of pinching was waking them up from this nightmare. Namine was the only one who seemed able to sleep through it, intermittently dozing off in her chair between doodling scratchy lines into her latest drawing.

Beatrix was glad to finally know the answer, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Simply knowing really was only the beginning.

"You two still have your whole lives ahead of you. If we are caught, it will surely mean death. There is no shame in it if you two wish to turn back now." She urged them to speak.

While Riku continued silently leaning up against the wall, arms crossed against his chest, Sora jumped up off the ledge, reinvigorated passion flowing through him as he bounced lightly up on his heels.

"No way! I'm not gonna give up that easily!"

Just as surely, though with far less animation, his friend agreed.

"As if we could go back to daily life, willingly complicit in burying the truth. Sorry but that's not going to work for me either."

Beatrix gave them both a second look-over. Young. So fresh and full of life and promise. But they had a resolve like no other. It was the same resolve that had caught her attention in the past when she was still overseeing and recommending promotions among the ranks. There had been something so unusual about them. And even though Sora in particular had not yet met the intended requirements for his final promotion, she had pushed for him to be granted one anyway.

It had been a gamble, but she had the distinct feeling they were both destined for something. And maybe now that time had finally come. She knew if this inane idea had any chance of working at all she would need their help.

"I will value your companionship. And fervently hope our sacrifice will not be in vain. If we die, we shall know it was for true justice."

She saw Sora's eager face diminish slightly and he scuffed his toe on the carpet. "Uh...is that really what we're fighting for? Justice?"

The former general tipped her head at him. "Did you have something else in mind?"

"Well...yeah." His eyes glanced towards Namine who had stirred a bit in her sleep and reached for one of her coloring pastels. She finally settled on one of a deep crimson hue and began scratching long swooping lines across the paper.

Reaching over, Sora gave Namine a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Justice is great and all, but we're doing it for her. And for Ka-...er...well, you know."

It didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room that the young girl with sunbeam hair shivered at his touch, dropping her coloring pastel once more to the floor. She mumbled his name again and he hastily bent down to retrieve the wayward stick of red color now half buried in the carpet. As he handed it back, he wrapped his hands around her pale fragile ones, trying to offer some comfort.

"Soon, you won't have to suffer these awful memories any more. I'm sorry it took us so long."

He waited for Namine's gentle fingers to grasp the pastel before giving her another reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. But Namine didn't return to her drawing, instead setting it shakily down onto the table. Beatrix saw this one in particular, rather than depicting death and suffering, was a picture of two girls lying next to each other, as if sleeping. One with messy blond hair in a white dress, the other with red hair and a lavender colored one. Both sleeping children were being stood over by another girl in a lime green dress and brown hair. Blue lines traced between the three of them, connecting all of their forms together like a triangular river. Other deep jagged red lines cut across all three of them, like streaks of visible pain shooting like lightning over their bodies.

And for once, Beatrix had no confusion over what scene this drawing must have been depicting. Sora glanced down at the picture, also looking uneasy.

"Even though it will be hard for everyone, especially...especially for..." He stalled, and it was obvious who his thoughts were drifting to. But he shook his head to clear it and continued.

"If she can get her memories back then I think everyone will be much happier in the end."

Riku nodded towards him with a light smirk. "Maybe not that fiance of hers."

Stammering, Sora's face started to turn the same color as the crayon he had just fetched off the floor. "Y-yeah well I'm trying not to think about him right now. So thanks for that."

Namine shivered and leaned sideways against his arm, cutting off his complaining entirely. Her soft voice mumbled, quiet but still loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

"...the rain is so cold."

A mournful expression crossed Sora's face; a mixture of pained sadness and regret. Yet another undeniable sign that within Namine's mind were hundreds of trapped memories, swirling around like an endlessly looping dream. And as Sora had claimed earlier, he had lived those memories. Scrawled on the papers were images of events he knew personally. He could recognize the figures, the faces, the places within. But they were not memories he had shared with Namine.

They were memories that never should have been inside Namine to begin with. Memories that had been forcibly crammed inside of her using the magic of a specially trained witch.

Sora lowered his head towards the trembling girl in the chair, trying his best to hide the sorrow on his face.

"Namine...I'm so sorry. Please just hold on a little longer, okay?"

Beatrix kneeled as well, making sure her eye patch was firmly in place before gazing towards the lonely princess with as kind an expression as she could manage. "We are going to find the one who did this to you, and make her reverse it."

Putting on a bright smile, Sora bounced back up to his feet, his energy returned. "I bet Seifer is gonna be so happy to hear about his sister, too! The minute he gets back from his trip home I'll-"

A sharp glance from Riku cut him off.

"You aren't to tell anyone a word of this."

"But, it's _his_ sister, shouldn't he-"

Riku only rolled his eyes, making his opinion on Seifer perfectly clear. "Seifer is even more hot-headed than you. If you tell him his sister is alive he is bound to do something incredibly stupid. And worst of all, unpredictable. That's the last thing we need: a wildcard just as stubborn as you but without any of the positives."

Embarrassed, Sora scratched at the back of his head. "Heh. Positives, huh? Like what?

"Well for starters, not everyone is a naive cinnamon roll like you."

"A naive cinna-" Huffing, Sora puffed out his lips in childish irritation. "Oh yeah? Well at least cinnamon rolls are delicious. If you were a food you'd be...I dunno...a cup of cold coffee or something terrible."

He seemed quite proud of himself, but Riku shattered his confidence immediately with a shrug of indifference.

"Great. I love coffee."

"W-well fine! Then you'd be brussels sprouts dipped in dark chocolate." Sora grinned again, as if sure this answer was going to be the winning jab. "Pretty terrible, huh?"

"Awful." Riku's stoic face cracked slightly into a smile. "Which is even better. Then I'll be less likely to end up as someone's dinner. "

Maybe she just didn't understand the joke, but she couldn't understand how the two of them could be smiling about something so stupid right now. Beatrix crossed her arms and cleared her throat to catch their attention.

"The _point_ is, that no one can know about this. Are we in agreement?"

Sora hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, I guess so...but what is the plan, anyway? If we end up needing help or another set of hands I think we should go to him first."

"Fine." Beatrix closed her eyes and contemplated the situation carefully before speaking. "Now, the way I see it, in order to free Ellone we are first going to need to scope the temple out. Find exactly where she is being held and the most direct path there."

She lifted up a second finger into the air. "Next, we will need to borrow both the temple master key and the key to her prison room, make a copy of both, then return them before they are missed."

Another finger joined the two already up. "Finally, we use our copied keys to sneak in at an opportune time when the priests are least likely to set off an alarm and catch us before we can escape with her. Any objections?"

Riku, who had been nodding along with her plan so far, gave her a satisfactory grunt of approval. "None here. And if I remember correctly, Ienzo mentioned she was being kept in a place called 'Griever's Watch'. If my reference knowledge isn't rusty, Griever is the name of the god Rhalgr's pet lion. Not sure if that does us any good, but it might help us identify the specific key we need."

"A lion, huh?" Sora twisted his face up in thought for a moment before nodding firmly to himself. "Yeah, that scores up pretty high on the cool pets list. Not as cool as a dragon, but better than an ochu."

"But who would keep an ochu as a...ugh, what does it matter..." Beatrix opened her mouth to chastise him for getting sidetracked yet again, but a soft head shake from Riku made her hesitate.

"He's just like that. But don't worry, he's serious when he needs to be." Yet another smirk from the knight in the corner, and a beaming grin from the other left her just as baffled as before. What was with these two?

"I...I see."

Riku shrugged and motioned towards Namine. "At least he's always serious when it comes to saving girls. He's always been particular about that sort of thing."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Beatrix ignored Sora's complaint altogether and sighed into her hand. "As long as we get the job done."

"No problem! Get some keys, get back out. Easy! But, uh...one question." Sora's confident veneer slipped slightly and he uneasily glanced between the other two knights. "How are we even going to get into the temple in the first place? It's not like we can just walk in, right?"

Riku scowled a little, contemplating things. "It's a fair point. Knights aren't allowed in except for official business or as an escort. The last thing we want is to draw too much attention to ourselves before we can even get the keys."

Beatrix glanced over towards Namine who was bobbing her head drowsily in her chair, oblivious to the world.

"Actually...that may be exactly what we want to do."

* * *

For most girls, preparing for a wedding was supposed to be a momentous, dreamlike time full of excitement and giddy giggles while picking out dresses and flower arrangements. But there was never anything normal about her, was there? Perhaps in some way nightmares could be considered some type of dream...right?

Kairielis couldn't concentrate on anything about the pointless conversation. The priest kept prattling on about fortuitous days, about their opinions on which constellation they wanted to have overhead during their union, about which deity would be most able to hear their prayers, asking which ones they wanted to call upon in their vows...

None of it mattered.

Instead, her focus was locked on the steady drip of water from somewhere up above, casting light, barely discernible ripples across the surface of the tranquil pool. Each touch creating one wrinkled blemish after the other. It was infinitely more interesting than planning decorations for this farce of a wedding.

Hans, to his credit, was still doing his best to put on a devoted fiance persona. And while she herself was still going through the motions of formality, sitting through the required appointments, she had an obvious lack of enthusiasm. She was surprised no one had called her out on it yet, honestly.

Every speck of energy she had was being devoted to snagging the tiniest morsel of information about where her two knights had gone. But no one wanted to breathe a word to her. And the current stony golems assigned to watch over her now certainly weren't letting her go off on her own down to the barracks to chase after those two.

She yearned to see them again. She had rehearsed what she would say a million times, perfectly, over and over in her mind. Not that it would do her any good.

If she didn't do anything soon, it would be too late. Her body reflexively shivered at the thought of the looming ceremony. In desperation, her eyes drifted briefly towards the entrance of the temple, praying something would walk through the doors that could disrupt this slog of a meeting.

 _Anything but more of this..._

She nearly jumped as she saw the large doors slowly creak open, answering her prayers.

Unfortunately, it wasn't in the way she was hoping.

Beatrix held the door open wide enough for Namine's wheeled chair to be pushed through and the two entered the open dome of the temple. Kairielis nearly shrieked, but managed to clamp her hands down over her mouth, muffling her cry.

Why was her cousin here!? If Namine saw her…

 _This is bad, this is very, very bad…_

She searched for an exit, scuttling around behind a nearby pillar while both Hans and the priest turned to ogle at what had startled her.

"Beatrix…!?"

While Hans was spinning about in bafflement, the priest's furious exclamation left no room for misinterpretation that this was a problem.

The knight smiled with uncharacteristic sweetness. "Why, whatever is the matter? I always take Namine out to the gardens for fresh air. Sometimes she wants to see the pool."

Kairielis shivered against the narrow stone pillar, but it was far too small to hide completely behind. She locked eyes with the knight, and expected Beatrix to show a flicker of recognition. If Beatrix knew she was here, she would take her cousin and leave. Immediately. She wouldn't want to risk her cousin having an uncontrolled fit again.

...Right?

But to her surprise, Beatrix focused straight on her.

And smiled.

Kairielis had no idea what words the knight whispered in her cousin's ear, but it only made Namine's head snap up. Her cousin's eyes widened, her body shivered. If Beatrix had been making an attempt to soothe her it didn't work in the slightest.

 _No, no, no…_

Backing away, Kairielis tried to distance herself from her cousin, internally pleading to whatever was out there that her cousin wouldn't suffer. But Namine's wispy body began to shake more and more violently as she wrenched herself back and forth in the chair as if trying to get away. Shrieks ripped from her throat, echoing across the water and up into the rafters.

By this time Kairielis had long abandoned her shelter behind the pillar. Pain rippled through her head and she gulped, shrinking against the temple's far wall, hoping to get as far away from the crying as possible. All the priests, and even Hans rushed over to try and usher Namine out of the way, to calm her tears.

Out of the noise Kairielis could hear them questioning Beatrix, arguing. But of course Beatrix would have had no idea that it would be a problem for Namine to come to the temple garden today. It wasn't like Kairielis regularly came here to chat with priests about wedding details this time in the afternoon. Obviously no one had thought to tell her that. Or maybe they had and she just forgot.

It didn't matter why they were here. She had to get out of this room. She had to get away.

Turning, she bolted down the hall, pulling open doors and fleeing further, deeper down into the temple, on and on towards the center. She had no idea where she was running to, just away. Eventually she stumbled down a hallway she had never even seen before, but she didn't even care to stop and navigate. She just kept running.

Yanking on the next closest door, she slipped through and slammed it shut behind her. Was she hyperventilating or just winded? Ugh...

Closing her eyes, she tuned out the world entirely, and focused only on a few, calm, steady breaths. In. And out.

When her heart finally stopped racing, she dared to open them again and glance about her surroundings.

The room was rather dusty, and full of what looked like abandoned or forgotten personal belongings. It would probably be best not to touch anything just in case she accidentally disturbed the stacks upon which everything was precariously balanced. She had no idea how any of them could find what they were looking for in this haphazard mess.

Curiosity got the better of her, now that her cousin's cries were slightly muffled behind the door. And, still wanting to escape a bit further away, she started to walk deeper into the room, past a few bookshelves towards an antique writing desk piled high with parchments.

For some reason she felt the need to draw even closer to this place. Not so much the desk, but the wall directly behind it.

It was a thick stone. Cold to the touch. Not particularly unusual. So why was it alluring somehow? Some thick dust soaked curtains were draped along one section and she ruffled them slightly with a brush of her finger.

Something still urged her to pull them aside and look. Something else urged her to step away. Caught between both emotions she fumbled backwards, bumping her hip into the side of a shelf. It teetered and she gasped, whipping around to steady it before she caused any massive destruction in her wake. The shelf jingled as it swayed, and she turned to see rows upon rows of keys hanging from various hooks, all individually labeled. Thank the gods she hadn't knocked the whole thing over. She never would have been able to hang them all back up correctly.

As she centered the shelf once more, she heard one thick metallic clang.

 _Oops..._

Whatever key that fell must have been fairly hefty from the sound, but she couldn't see it anywhere. Bending down, she searched on her knees for a moment underneath the shelf. Her fingers brushed across something somewhat sharp and she carefully dragged it out to get a closer look. It was a rather thick brass key, and stood out from all the others still hanging up on the hooks.

It was remarkably ornate, the handle full of fine twisting curves of metal bent around one another in the shape of a lion's head. Was it even meant to be a key or just decoration? Of course it was a key. There were a few unmistakable teeth jutting out the opposite side as the lion's face, meant for a lock that surely must also be just as hefty and detailed. She couldn't imagine a key this fancy would go to a plain nondescript lock.

What could a key like this even go to? In all the time she had been in the temple she had never seen anything that would match a lion's head. Then again, it wasn't like she really had ever thoroughly explored the place. Despite it being necessary for her to go there every morning, the priests seemed wary of letting her wander unsupervised.

She wrapped her fingers around it and hesitated. It was surprisingly heavier than she expected. Better to be careful in case she dropped it again. Turning to hang it back up on the hook, she steadied herself and did her best simultaneously to ignore the curtain standing out in the edge of her vision. There was no label on the hook, giving her no clue about what the key belonged to. Just as she slipped it over the top of the hook, she heard the door behind her creak open and she gasped, fumbling with the lion head. The key tumbled back down to the floor with an echoing clatter.

"A-ah! I'm so sorry! I was only trying to..."

The person who had entered the room wasn't a priest.

Very far from it, in fact.

And judging from the look on Riku's face, he hadn't been expecting to see her there either. While the surprise didn't last long, his silence did. When she finally gathered herself enough to stop gawking, she fiddled nervously with her bracelet and tried to at least form a coherent sentence. But all the preparation of what to say that she had done in her head earlier dissolved faster than a sugar cube in a hot cup of tea.

"I'm...surprised to see you. What...are you _possibly_ doing here?"

It sounded much harsher than she intended, but maybe there really was still some slight resentment hiding inside of her that had not yet been shed out of her with all the tears.

He only stared, and she noticed his eyes drifting to the floor where the strange lion head key was resting.

"S-so you are...doing well, then?"

It felt odd being so stiff around him, and he seemed to be very purposefully staying at the other end of the room. It looked like he was only focused on the key at her feet. Maybe he was wondering what it was for himself, because he certainly wasn't answering any of her questions.

She chewed at her lip a little, hoping he would at least speak.

"Is...is Sora-"

"I need that key."

He pointed down to the metal lion at her feet, completely ignoring her again.

And triggering her ire.

Was he _trying_ to make her angry? It certainly seemed that way! He was going to leave her behind without a single word, then come waltzing up out of the blue, refuse to even do her the courtesy of saying hello and then demand her to do something for _him_? Certainly not!

"Oh? This key?" She stomped heavily down on the end, pressing it into the floorboards and locking it securely in place. "Oopsie! Looks like it's stuck under my shoe right now. Maybe if you play nice I'll consider moving."

Riku furrowed his brow, but still said nothing. All the fire of her anger melting away any shaky insecurities she had before. She forged ahead, hoping he would be more cooperative now.

"Why did you leave? Without even saying goodbye! Why didn't Sora just tell me he-"

"The key. If you want to help Sora you'll give it to me."

She leaned harder into the foot pressed against the key and glared.

" _Oh?_ Well maybe you should answer my questions then. I'm not giving it up that easily! Why are you here?"

Silence.

Riku was definitely not an easy person to manipulate, because he usually had some sort of hidden ace in his sleeve. However he didn't have anything today but his sheer stubbornness. And stubbornness wasn't going to get him what he wanted.

She really wanted to ask him why he was being so difficult, but she knew that question wouldn't get an answer either. Every second of his silence only worked her lingering temper up towards the surface.

"If you won't give me a reason why would I give this to you then? Somehow I feel like once I hand it over you'll run off and leave me without a second thought. Again." Fury shook her shoulders. "Well...I suppose you were only following Sora, weren't you. _He's_ the one who left. If Sora wants this key he is going to have to come get it from me himself!"

Riku closed his eyes and his shoulders drooped slightly. "If you really need an answer, you should consider exactly what you told Sora to do before you start throwing blame around."

"I..."

Gods, he _always_ found a work-around to win arguments, didn't he? Even ones where he had said barely three sentences. But that didn't change the fact that he was right. She knew he was right. Too many tears had already been shed because of how much she regretted half the things she had said to Sora that night. Being in denial about it wasn't going to help anything. The air in the room was so dusty and stuffy it was starting to make her feel a bit drowsy.

"I know. I know what I said. I asked him to stop following me."

" _Ordered_ him."

She trembled again, but knew it wasn't out of anger. When he was cross, his words really cut through to the bone.

"Everything just got so out of hand. If you see him, p-please..."

And here she was, thinking the tears had long dried up already. But the unmistakable swell of water blurred her vision.

"Please tell him it was a mistake. Tell him I changed my mind."

She wished she could undo her 'order' because it had brought her nothing but misery. If there was any way to take back seeing him kneeling in the dirt in front of her, to let him know that she _wanted_ him to call her Kairi again, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Riku eyed her coldly and said nothing. What was he waiting for? Did he want her to beg? She would if she knew it meant her words would reach wherever Sora was.

"Please, Riku! I don't know what else I can say. I know I never should have gotten so emotionally involved, but I did. Somehow, before I knew it, I was swept up in it all. Maybe we both took things a little too far, and..."

The rage in his glare choked her into silence.

"So let me get this straight, _princess_. You want me to tell him you changed your mind? That it was all a mistake? Is that really what you think?"

"I...wait, that isn't quite..."

While it was true, she _had_ said all of that, now that she was hearing it reflected back to her she realized just how...wrong it sounded. Gods, it wasn't like she wanted to reset _everything_! Just the last bits.

"I don't-"

His eyes flashed with a deeper anger than she had only ever seen once in them before, when he was facing down that witch at the end of the hallway.

"What is he to you then, just a childish infatuation? Some exotic taboo plaything for you to irritate your father with?" His words were furious, but he never shouted. Not even once. Instead, they were cold shards of ice launched at her with calculated precision. "If that's really the case, you can keep the damn key."

He spun stiffly to leave and she shrieked after him, not caring if anyone outside heard her.

"No! That's wrong!" She didn't even care to wipe the tears away as they left wet streaks across her face, her voice surprisingly steady despite the furious thumping of her heart. "That's so utterly and completely wrong!"

True, there was a lot that, logically, she _shouldn't_ have done in the first place, but having lived through it already she wouldn't give it up. It was all far too precious.

She gasped, spitting her words out amid shameful sobs. "I still care about him more than I have any right to! Nothing is the same any more without him here."

"So...you would still want him by your side?"

"More than anything! I never should have pushed him away! _That's_ the only thing I regret and I'll regret it forever. I will never change how I feel about him. Because..." It was easier to pinch her eyes shut than continue fighting through the unbearable sting of salt anymore.

"I know I may never see him again. And that we are never meant to be...anything more than nothing. But I don't want the last thing I ever say to him to be something so painful! Tell him that I...that despite everything I still...even if I have to marry against my will, my heart will only ever be..."

"Stop. There's no need for any of that."

While the words themselves were frosty, there was a distinct thaw to his voice. It was much softer, more somber than before. And also sounded closer. Her eyes burst open in shock. Riku must have been slowly approaching her the whole time during her blind soliloquy, and was now standing just one arms length away.

"W-what? Why?"

"He already knows you love him."

And he smiled.

Smiled with that slightly cocky, sarcastic smirk of his when he was intentionally being snarky. She was almost too stunned to even breathe but seeing that look almost made her burst into tears again.

"Now, unless you are going to ask me to tell him something _actually_ surprising, I'll deliver the message."

"Y-you..." Kairielis hastily wiped down her face first before pressing her fists into her hips in a shaky attempt to sass him back. "Y-you don't have to be s-such a jerk about it! I'd have thought a love confession from a princess would be worth _something_."

She never thought she would be so relieved to see that smirk of his again, and almost laughed at the absurdity of it all.

He clicked his tongue and shrugged. "It's only worth something if you tell him yourself."

Was he forgetting the part that they had resigned? Surely not.

"I...would if I could. I've been trying for so long to even find you two, but everyone keeps trying to block me from reaching out." The dusty air was starting to get to her again, and she felt her head droop. "M-maybe if you tell him everything then he will want to come back...if he doesn't hate me too much now..."

Riku shook his head and ran his fingers heavily through his hair. "Look, he didn't resign because he wanted to. He only did it because he needed to. In order to help you."

" _Help me_?" Again, he said something so absurd she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. "How is being apart from me helping, exactly?"

"We needed more freedom of movement, mostly. But he also didn't want to put you in any danger."

"D-danger!? Wait just a moment, what are you two doing that is so dangerous!?"

As she suspected, he once more irritatingly ignored the question he didn't want to answer. He just pointed down to her shoe, and the key still wedged beneath it.

"If you give me that key, I can't guarantee there will be a happy ending here. But I can promise you that Sora is doing everything he can to grant your wish."

"My...wish? Wait, what did I-"

There was a light echoing of voices from outside one of the nearby halls, and she recognized it immediately as her two guards, searching for her. Most likely the matter with Namine had been resolved, and everyone was now wondering where she had squirreled herself off to.

All amusement dropped from his face now, and Riku lowered his voice. This was serious. Urgent.

In all likelihood he wasn't meant to be here.

It was dangerous, just like he said.

"The key. Give it to me and he is going to do what he can to save you. There's no more time left."

She scooped up the brass key from the floor and squished it hard into her palm. The lion's head dug a little painfully into her skin. If she handed over the key now, she had no idea what was going to begin. But somehow, they were going to try to save her. This was her last lifeline, and if she rejected it now she had a fairly good idea what would soon await her in the future.

A gaudy, unnecessary ceremony with a power hungry duke.

The unstated question kept endlessly circling her mind, repeating itself: was the princess going to be selfish and fight for her own future, or was she going to do what is safe, secure, and what duty demands of her?

She trembled, the lion biting down harder into her palm.

No.

There was another option. The only real option that she even wanted to consider.

 _"_ _Trust me."_ Sora had asked of her, the last time she had seen him. Yet trusting a knight with no title and no real accolades, whom she had only really just met a short time ago would be one of the most illogical possibly foolish choices she could make.

It could possibly throw her entire kingdom into chaos. Or worse, it could fill the entire land with darkness that she could no longer hold back.

What she set in motion she would have no idea until later, of course, but even looking back there was no way she could regret her choice this time.

Some may say it was a choice born from innocent and pure love. Some may say it was a foolish choice from a petulant child not wanting to accept her destiny.

But she did it anyway.

Only a few moments later, the two guards of very few words burst into the room, relieved to finally find the princess alone and unharmed in the dusty study. She murmured a simple apology and shuffled out, shutting the door tightly behind her.

Neither of the guards noticed that among the shelf filled with various keys, the one hook without a label where there once hung a single ornate brass key in the shape of a lion was now empty.

* * *

The little farmhouse stood quiet, solemn in the dusk. A sour stench hung upon the air and Seifer nearly gagged, kicking at a toppled milk pail on the floor in frustration.

"Why the hell did she send us to this backwater cesspit? And what happened to the farmer? Did he just run off? It's not like this is a war zone."

Still following silently behind him, the large raven merely glared, and batted his wings at the knight's head, refusing to entertain a single one of his questions.

"Tch. Whatever, bird-brain."

Venturing further into the house, the signs of disarray grew more and more evident. A whole table had been keeled over, and the stench only grew fouler. Turning the corner, Seifer gagged, and stumbled away from the sight before him.

A black plant, looking like it had been born from ink and sap had burst through the bottom of the floorboards, twisting itself around the furniture in the living room, leaving bubbling sludgy goop in its wake. There was also something limp, half crushed, entwined among its thorny branches.

"Ugh..." He winced and turned away, trying not to retch again. "Answers one question of mine, at least..."

Unperturbed by anything it saw, the raven hopped forward and cawed, clacking its talons repeatedly on the floorboards.

"Guess it really is already beginning..." The knight gawked at the massive plant until the raven cawed at him with more intense fervor than before.

"Give it a rest, will you! I'm working on it..." Seifer reached into his side pouch and yanked out a special clay jar, tied shut with a thick charm-imbued twine. "You give me any more sass and I'll stomp you so hard your little mistress is gonna need to remake you from scratch. Then maybe she'll design you less ugly next time."

The raven narrowed its eyes and clacked its beak several times, but Seifer snorted at the weak threat.

"I might've agreed to help out, but I ain't your minion. Don't you forget it!"

The knight turned his attention back to the twisted foul-smelling weed. "Now, to be honest, I'm a little surprised this 'seed' thing actually exists. But I guess it confirms that your master isn't totally full of it."

Flexing his fingers momentarily, he twisted off the lid on the jar and extended it towards the plant, keeping a cautious eye on the vines flicking around near his feet. And he waited.

Whatever spell had been in the jar soon began to work its magic. A thin line of smoke danced out towards the stem of the plant, circled it and tapped on some sheltered dark spiny pods lodged under a mess of thorns. The pods cracked open, and the plant gave a weak screech. Even darker and spinier spores ejected themselves from the pods and were immediately sucked into the jar by the smoke. The lid then closed itself with a satisfying pop, sealing the contents up tight.

Seifer blinked, dumbfounded at the procedure, but eventually just shrugged and returned the now full jar to his satchel.

"You know what? I don't care. So long as your master upholds her end of the bargain, I _really_ don't care."

And the knight, eager to get out of the foul house, turned to leave, the one over-sized raven hopping rigidly after him.

Neither looked back, even as the plant continued to lightly screech, and grow upwards, stabbing its way further into the ceiling.

In less than a days time it was going to undoubtedly burst through the roof.

And soon it would consume the former home entirely.

* * *

 _The_ _twisted_ _roots of darkness were already beginning to make their appearance, closing in from beneath everyone's unsuspecting feet._ _At that time, no one knew exactly how far they stretched beneath the earth. Or the price it would take to turn them away._

 _As it was said, the darkness hungered to swallow the light, and would never stop seeking it. Restlessly it had been waiting below, growing and seething for a chance to burst through and take back what it thought was owed._

 _No one expected the darkness to fall again so soon._

 _But only because they had it wrong the whole time. It wasn't falling down. It was growing up._

 _N_ _ow,_ _as promised, I will recount the adventure. The daring rescue_ _of the mysterious Ellone_ _!_ _Their_ _brave_ _attempt to save all those suffering._ _The beginning of the end._ _The_ _...oh,_ _enough dramatics and_ _I'll just get on with it then, shall I?_


	14. Ch 14: Beginning of the End

"You're the ones being ridiculous! We need to go now!"

Sora slapped his hands down on the table and stood up in such a rush that his chair crashed sideways to the floor. Wincing at the noise, Riku barely had time to grab at his friend's arm just before he passed by on his harried dash towards the exit.

"Calm down." He tightened his grip, preventing Sora from taking another step. But it didn't stop his friend from uselessly continuing to try and wrench his way out like a fish struggling against the end of a line.

Riku grabbed at his other shoulder, making sure to hold him steady. "Stop. Do you really expect us to storm in, burst her out of imprisonment in who knows what condition and then escape without getting noticed in the slightest? It won't work. We _need_ a distraction."

Panic was still screaming from his eyes, and while Sora stopped struggling outwardly, his fists were still clenched so tightly they were shaking.

"A distraction, fine. But not that! What is the point if she still has to do that stupid ceremony anyway?!"

The former general finally took action, rising up from her own chair and gracefully making her way over to the door. She leaned up against it, blocking its use just in case Sora had any more grand plans of escape. Her voice matched her eyes: cold and resolute.

"I understand it isn't the solution you were hoping for, but rashness begets only disaster. We will use the light binding ritual as our cover to rescue the witch."

"No, that's...no..."

Riku couldn't stand to look at the horrified betrayal staring back at him and released his grip. "Sora...listen, I'm not happy about it either, but-"

"No!"

It was as if all of Sora's words had left him, and he could only protest with all the verbosity of a child. Generally that only happened when he got himself so worked up and over emotional that all his logic flew out the window as well. There was just no reasoning with him at that stage.

Riku knew that well, but unfortunately Beatrix had far less experience dealing with his particular brand of stubbornness. She was casting a dour look at him, mixed with a sprinkle of bewilderment.

"Don't you see the folly in it? I won't be able to use Namine again. We barely managed to get copies of the keys as it is, and-"

"Because of Kairi! She _gave_ Riku that key because she was asking for help! I'm not turning my back on her. Never."

"I'm not asking you to turn your back on her. Just not get yourself killed. If you charge in there now you will most certainly be put to death."

Petulantly, Sora crossed his arms and continued to shake his head. The threat of death itself, it seemed, was not enough to sway his stance.

As stubborn as ever. Maybe Beatrix will figure it out eventually.

She uttered a long, hissing sigh through her teeth. "I don't suppose you have any better suggestions on what else we can do?"

"I-I dunno! Anything but that! I'll go alone if I have to!"

He started for the door again but Riku deftly slid in front of him, barring his escape. "No you won't."

"Riku...I know you think I'm being stupid but I'd honestly rather die than give up on her. I'm only alive because she..."

His whole body shivered as he remembered some dark ghost of his past. The events he barely would speak of, and that Riku knew better than to keep asking about.

"I've been living off borrowed time ever since she saved me. If this is when I give it back...so be it. I know I can't expect you to do the same, but I'm going."

"You misunderstand. Her ceremony is tomorrow evening which means..." Riku reached over and plucked the copy of the lion shaped key off the table, twirling it a bit in his fingers. "We act tonight."

Beatrix huffed indignantly. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you are also agreeing with him now?"

Sora didn't catch the derision in her voice and immediately brightened at the mere implication of his involvement. "You're coming with me?!"

"You're not the only one with debts to repay. It's riskier to go in now, of course, but I don't think it's impossible. We'll come up with something."

Beatrix adjusted her metal eye patch and slouched further against the door. "Fine. As idiotic as it is, fine. But remember, this isn't an action you can take back. If we move, we move with derisive unstoppable force. Be it for our salvation or destruction we must put our all behind it. Have you made peace with everything and everyone you may leave behind?"

Riku took a long look out the window, and even though he could see nothing but the bleak darkness of the night sky, he knew what was out there. A whole kingdom that he had sworn to protect long ago. One that was falling apart before him. It may look whole and functional on the outside, but the core had been rotting for some time. It was only now he finally noticed the smell.

And maybe if he still was that insolent young whelp of his childhood he would ignore all of this mess and continue superficially serving the crown. Still believing that titles and definitions meant the world. He would have turned his back on these thoughts of treason and impending disaster to let the princess follow her cruel destiny. He would have calmly watched on the sidelines as the fool knight who had fallen in love with her suffered the consequences for straying from the rules.

But Riku could never think that way again.

That fool of a knight was his friend. He had taught him how rigid and destructive his views on life had been. Sora lived his life so simply and honestly, never once questioning the validity of three simple facts: Family wasn't just related through blood. Morality wasn't always aligned with the rule books. And justice was subjective. To him what mattered most was knowing in your heart what was worth protecting and unquestionably doing just that.

These concepts came so naturally to Sora, he made a pretty good teacher. And Riku never once wanted to forget what he was taught.

He never expected to have a long life at the end of the day. Just a fulfilling one. A life knowing that he had actually supported everyone important to him and that his family would be proud of his decisions. There was no question if his father knew the truth he would be charging down there himself to take Ellone back. Riku also knew if his mother were here she would likely be clenching Sora tight against her chest, ignoring his flailing attempts to escape while tearfully demanding some order akin to 'Don't you dare leave him alone in the dark again, do you hear me!? If he marches to hell, you had better be one step ahead of him. He needs you.'

Yeah...she would definitely be saying something like that. Always coddled Sora a little bit too much.

Riku nodded, and turned away from the dark window.

"You don't have to ask, Beatrix. We're both prepared. Wherever I've gone he's always followed, and now I'm determined to do the same."

Sora bobbed his head eagerly without a second of hesitation. "I already decided a long time ago I'd do anything to help her and...so long as my letter gets delivered...I think my mom'll understand. It's the right thing to do."

Chortling a little, Riku gave him a light nudge with his shoulder. Even in dark hours like this, when tension was high it was still worth teasing him. Somehow it made things more bearable.

"Uh-huh. Sure it has nothing to do with wanting a special reward or two from a certain royal lady of the candlestick wielding variety?"

Sora wasn't expecting that one, and he reddened slightly. "N-no! And what's with that title? That was _one time_ and she already said-"

"Ah, alright then. So if she offers you a nice big kiss I'll just tell her you did it all for noble reasons and _definitely_ wouldn't want anything of the sort."

Sora glowered at him, his face still tinged red as he grumbled out a few choice words. "Long live the ultimate king of all jerks..."

"Doesn't that mean I rule over them? Wouldn't necessarily make me one myself." He made it all too easy sometimes.

Frustrated, Sora gave him a playful smack on the side of his arm. "No! Definitely includes you! It means you are the biggest one of all."

"Oh, I see how it is." Riku shrugged casually, trying his best to look offended. "Maybe if you think that little of me I'll think twice about marching off with you to certain doom."

Oops. Maybe he did too good a job there with his acting and had gotten a bit too careless. Sora already wasn't thinking clearly, and now looked like someone had just told him every last fluffy little Shaggy Shoat had all suddenly gone extinct.

"T-that's not really what I...I didn't mean..."

The fact that Sora was so concerned over what was so obviously sarcasm made him smile, but Riku clipped him on the back of the head for good measure anyway.

"Hey, lighten up. Isn't that what you're always telling me to do?"

It took Sora a moment to comprehend it all. When it finally dawned on him he brightened, his smile the same cheerful sun as it always was. Just as it always should be.

"Heh, guess I am being a little bit too serious, huh?"

" _Too_ serious!?" Beatrix groaned at his comment, mumbling something into her hand, but Sora seemed not to notice and eagerly bounced his weight back and forth between his feet.

"I know you're with me, no question! Together we've got nothing to worry about!"

"I wouldn't say _nothing_..." This time Beatrix's grumbling was slightly more audible, but Sora still seemed to pay it no mind.

"Let's go set things right!" His face was beaming as he spoke, but just as soon as he finished cheering, what was almost like a storm cloud passed over his mood and all at once he looked unsure for the first time that evening.

"Uh, but Riku...if something _does_ happen down there, I..."

Sora's voice trailed off. He seemed lost and unable to even piece together a single phrase more of whatever was swirling in his mind.

"Spit it out already."

"Just...thanks. For always being there."

The sincerity in a face like that was hard to match, that was for sure. While he expected it, it still felt good to hear. He yanked Sora down by the shoulder and ruffled his hair fondly.

"I do bail you out an awful lot, don't I? But it's a price I'm willing to pay. I call it the Sora tax."

"Uh...tax?" Sora shrugged his way out from under the arm holding him down, trying to flatten his hair back into place. Every single one of his unruly spikes bounced right back up where they wanted themselves to be.

"Geez, am I really that bad?"

"The opposite. Maybe you're too thick headed to realize it, but you help me out every day. Help me keep things in perspective." He gave him one more bop on the very noggin in question. "It's only fair I give _a little_ back now and again."

" _A little_ , huh?" Rubbing his forehead now, Sora hesitantly chuckled, clearly trying his hardest to hold back some tears. Happy tears, hopefully.

Sora pawed one hand across his eyes and laughed again. "But, uh...exactly how much am I gonna owe you for this, then?"

"If we make it out of this I only want one thing." Riku lifted up a lone finger and leaned over to whisper in his friend's ear, making sure even Beatrix couldn't hear.

Sora bobbed, listening to the request carefully. And his carefree smile somehow blazing even brighter.

"I think I can manage that."

"Good. Now let's figure this plan out."

* * *

Kairielis was shaken from her dreams by the rough sound of armor clanking down the hall. Drowsily she sat up and, after covering herself up with a robe, cracked her door open just a peek to see what in the world had convinced the knights to run a marathon through the castle. But the first thing that she noticed was the smell.

Earthy, almost pine scented smoke hanging thick in the air like a blanket. Was it...fire? Briefly, she caught a glimpse over in the direction of the temple and saw, horrified, that there was a flickering orange light brightening up the late evening sky. Before she could venture out further, the door was slammed shut in her face from the other side, a gruff voice practically barking at her to remain inside where it was safe.

Because staying locked inside during a fire was obviously the most sane thing to do. She wanted to kick at the door to let her opinion be known to whoever was holding it shut right now on the other side, but refrained mostly because she wasn't wearing shoes and wasn't keen on stubbing her toe.

She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew who was behind that fire...

"You two had better stay safe..."

* * *

Sora nearly tripped down the winding stone steps, slick with moss and slime built up from the constant dripping of water leaking out from somewhere. Heck, it was probably seeping in from everywhere. The stones were practically oozing liquid. It was unsurprising, considering the winding path they were on was now most likely directly underneath the massive pool of water that Kairi dutifully blessed every morning. So far he didn't hear too much commotion up above them, so either the alarm hadn't gone up yet or Beatrix had been able to keep the guards off their scent for longer than she had anticipated.

It was so miserable and dark in the hall. How long had she been trapped here? All alone, amid nothing but the plink-plank of the dripping water and bubbling slime…

Unexpected nausea surged up in the back of his throat and he swallowed it down.

Then he actually tripped.

He skidded against the curving stone, saved only by Riku's quick reflexes in snagging his arm to keep him from pitching face-first into the wall.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, inwardly hoping he didn't look as sick as he felt. "I...something about this place..."

It was just like the dark pit of the sewer where he had been trapped for so long. That horrible place where he had languished in pain, forced to lick water off the walls, his only food the scraps that some of the stray cats he befriended managed to drag in for him. Hope had been the only thing keeping him alive back then, and it was a place he never wanted to return.

His stomach clenched and he felt like he was going to throw up again just thinking about it. For so long he had tried to suppress that period of time, but all of this was just boiling it up to the surface.

Somehow, he had a feeling that his friend understood the problem even without him being able to properly explain it.

"Ah. I see." Riku gave him a hefty pat on the shoulder. "Not to sound insensitive but you need to pull it together."

"Y-yeah." He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the damp stench in the air. It was sickening, but the more ill he felt, the more his resolve sparked into a roaring fire. Slamming his fist into the wall, he steadied himself and charged forward down the rest of the staircase.

"She's not staying down here any more. Not one minute more!"

Riku followed right behind him, but seemed far less enthusiastic. "Listen, I don't want to discourage you but...look at this place. How could any one person stay in the dark like this and not go insane after a month, let alone over ten years?"

His frenzied run died down and he skidded a bit on the slimy tiles. "Huh? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying...she might not be all there. Are you prepared for that, in case it happens?"

Sure, it was a fair question, but it made Sora incredibly uncomfortable. "...I'll do whatever I can. We can't give up yet."

Even with Riku's warning, when the two of them finally reached the furthest door, he still wasn't prepared for what he would see. The door was thick and had a small barred window set in the top. Below was what looked like a thin slot just large enough to slide maybe a plate of food or something similar inside. Otherwise, it looked like it had remained shut for some time. He peeked inside the window at the woman he knew would be inside.

She was gaunt, and the very definition of unkempt. Her chestnut brown hair was long, thin and hanging in strings, clinging to her skin. She was snuggled down in a thick woolen shawl, but her bony shoulders still protruded from the top.

But most surprising of all was the strangely blank look on her face. Sora shook when he saw her, fumbling a little with the key in the lock in his rush to get the door open. Once it was unlocked he wrenched at it with some effort, but the hinges had long since rusted in place. It squealed against the floor, opposed to the slightest movement. It took both of them yanking on its side to make it open. Even then, she didn't even flinch.

Her gaze penetrated his mind, making him feel a bit dizzy and it took him a moment to realize he should probably explain what was going on before just hurling the door open and expecting her to flee with them.

"Hey...can you hear me?"

Her watery eyes looked beyond him, unblinkingly.

"It's a long story, but...we're here to get you out. The priests here aren't gonna be too happy about it, but we'll do our best to keep you safe now, okay?"

She didn't react and his heart sank. Was she already too far gone? It was exactly what Riku had said. No. There _had_ to be someone there. Too many people were counting on them to give up on it all now.

Not quite as optimistic about the situation, Riku sighed and leaned heavily against the wall next to the prison door.

"Even if we strong arm her out of this place unwillingly, there's no way she can help anyone in that condition."

Silence passed in that cramped, awful hall, with nothing but the dripping to accompany them.

"I'll find her. I have to. No one is ever gone forever."

Crossing his arms, Riku lowered his head. "Do your best. If anyone can pull her out of that hole, it's you."

Well, after that encouragement there was nothing else to do but take a deep breath and go for it…

He gently rested his hand on the edge of the door frame and peeked into the room slightly, not wanting to intrude too far too quickly.

"Hey, there. It's great to finally meet you. My name is Sora, and this is my best friend Riku. He might look kinda scary but he's a good guy."

"Watch it..."

Ignoring Riku's quip, he took one small step closer towards Ellone, keeping both of his hands visibly in front of him just in case it made her nervous not to see what he was doing. Despite the door to her freedom being open, she seemed perfectly content to stay glued to her seat.

"I understand if you don't trust us, but we are friends of your brother. Do you remember Seifer?"

Her eyes closed, but otherwise she didn't stir.

"He misses you a lot. I know that you've been alone in this darkness for so long, but he's never, ever forgotten you. If you come with me, you two can be together again and start over."

A soft sound, like a low humming resounded from the back of her room, steadily growing in volume. She was...singing? But it wasn't any normal song. It was the same fluctuating melody as the pipes in the temple, playing their constant eerie music throughout the day. Honestly he wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Maybe it was just stuck in her head if she could hear it all the way down here all day every day. Or maybe...she was trying to tune him out.

"I guess...I'm not being all that convincing, am I? I should just tell the truth."

Not caring about the wetness of the floor, Sora plopped himself down right in the doorway, right at her feet. He could feel the water already beginning to soak through his clothes but he couldn't care less.

"The truth is...I came here because I'm really selfish. And that's probably why you don't care about anything I have to say. After all, why should you?"

He heard Riku kick grainy loose pebble into the stone wall, and grunt. Obviously he disagreed but didn't interject.

"I know the last thing you want to do is strain yourself over a selfish guy like me, bursting in here and trying to tell you what to do, but...if you can at least listen to me for only a minute I'd really appreciate it."

Her head bobbed forward, and her singing slowed, but didn't stop altogether. Maybe...that meant it was okay?

"I met someone a long time ago. When all the world was falling apart around me, darkness bursting out between every crack in the stone, she was my light. Everything about her just...brightened the world again. She brought hope to so many people who didn't have anything and I knew, I _knew_ I needed to do anything to help her."

From the back of the cell, the pale shadow of a woman quivered, as if suddenly cold, clenching her shawl tighter around her body.

"The only problem is...she's a princess. She's so far out of reach for a guy like me but...I can't help it. I love her."

He closed his eyes tightly, just trying to picture Kairi in his mind. Remembering her smile to keep himself warm for a bit longer on the icy cold floor.

"But back then, a lot of people were trying to stamp her light out completely. There were these three guys that wouldn't leave us alone. Caught up with us down in the dark, with nothing but hate in their eyes. I didn't want them to take her so I...stayed behind."

His throat clenched and he gulped, swallowing heavily to try and dislodge the lump inside.

"And...I died. Or something close to it. Everything felt so cold and dark. My memory started to slip away. Even my name. I should have been gone. But..."

From the other side of the door, Riku said nothing. And the woman in the cell stared straight through him.

"She called out to me. And there was light _everywhere_. The most comforting, warm, wonderful light. She brought me back from the edge of nothing. I'll never, ever forget that."

Even softer now, the woman began to sing again, her body swaying back and forth. It was a different song this time, one that sounded vaguely familiar but it was hard to make out between the dripping water and the furious thump of his own heartbeat in his ears.

"She gave me hope. Even though it was still really hard to survive after that, and a lot of other people helped me too, I know if I had never met her I wouldn't be here. And right now, she's in a lot of trouble. She's suffering. I came to you selfishly because...I need your help to save her."

Ellone didn't really react much to this, just gazed forward, rocking slightly and continuing to sing her song very lightly into the darkness.

"I can't even imagine how much you've suffered for all this time but I know you're still in there somewhere. I want to help you, too."

Sora remembered the golden bird that Seifer had kept on his collar. "You like birds, right? Swallows? I really want you to be able to hear them sing again. If you let us help you get out of here you'll be free again. You could listen to them every day. You'll be free to do whatever you want. And if you decide you don't want to help us...I understand. That is your choice to make."

He lowered himself forward, down onto his hands on the dirty floor. With head bowed, he pressed himself down until his forehead bumped the rough cold stone. And he begged.

"But, please...e-even if you don't care about me, at least escape with us and think about it. Kairi only wants to help everyone. She hasn't done anything wrong and she needs her memories back. Seifer needs his sister back."

The lump in his throat only grew, and he couldn't stop a few tears from joining the pools of water on the floor.

"Please. I can't do it on my own. I'm ready to give everything I can. I'll give my life if I need to, but I can't do it without you."

Her singing voice chirped out even louder and Sora's eyes popped open. He knew that song. He knew it by memory.

It was Kairi's song, and Ellone was singing it now, without a single mistake, clear as day. He sat back up on his ankles, gaping at the woman snuggled deep in her shawl in front of him.

"E-Ellone?" He wiped the mix of tears and condensation off his face, struggling to see more clearly. "Are...are you..."

There was something much warmer in her face. While her eyes were still cloudy and distant, there was an unmistakable spark of something human. And she smiled at him, as warm and soft as the summer wind.

"I am. Somehow, I still am."

* * *

Two guards stumbled forward through the garden. The first to arrive in the courtyard managing a sloppy salute, sticking his leg out as he did so to also offer a ridiculous half-bow in her direction.

"It's good to see you back in form, General!"

The other knight, still trying to approach, nearly tripped over his partner's foot sticking out by the edge of a stone planter and yelped.

Blutzen and Kohel. Not exactly the most promising of knights out there, but perhaps on a night like tonight that was all for the best. It definitely wouldn't have been good news if a knight actually _capable_ had been on duty. Cecil would have seen through her shoddy plans immediately.

But Captain Steiner's boys? She could work with that.

Beatrix stared daggers down at the two of them, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Is this honestly the best time for useless flattery? Report, Kohel. Now!"

"Y-yes, ma'am! Captain Steiner is on his way now!"

Blutzen immediately chirped up in turn, filling in more details. "Fire is out! The rest of the guard are standing by at the ready, awaiting your next orders!"

Beatrix pursed her lips and glanced up at the moon overhead, trying to gauge exactly how much time had passed.

"Very good. And the priests? The Grand Maester?"

It was Kohel's turn again. "All safely evacuated and gathered by the outside pond as you requested! No one injured in the fire!"

"Thank the Gods for that. Make sure to keep them there, well protected. Weimar can handle that along with Haagen. Don't let any of them take one foot into the temple until the all clear is sounded. You two, take Laudo and keep the back garden and exits to the temple secure. The rest stand along the perimeter of the pool. I will proceed through the front entrance with some men once Captain Steiner arrives. I'm counting on you."

Both knights saluted, but seemed hesitant to scurry off to their assigned duties.

"What's wrong?"

"Well...some of the boys were thinking we should wait until the Captain gets here to give out the ord-"

Beatrix shot fire at them with her glare.

"And let the culprits escape!? Are they mad? I've never been so insulted in my life! I may have changed positions but my skills and leadership are _not_ to be questioned. This is an emergency situation and I am temporarily asserting control over this madness."

She rolled her fingers threateningly over the hilt of her sword. "Tell _whoever-it-is_ that if they don't agree wholeheartedly with my orders they will be facing down a severe reprimand when this is all over. I guarantee it. Now pass that along and get out of my sight!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Their armor clanked as they briefly collided in their rush to dart off and report to the other knights. She watched calmly from the edge of the fountain, her eyes following the remaining traces of smoke as it drifted upwards.

There was no taking any of it back now. Those two had set fire to the side of the temple, taking advantage of the vines that had long dried up in the summer heat that clung to the eastern side. She had been the one to 'spot' them, of course, and raised the alarm. It was easy sending most of the guards around on a wild goose chase through the gardens to search for the suspicious 'arsonists' just as much as it had been to encourage them to empty out the temple of the priests, leaving their path free.

They had every opportunity to reach Ellone's prison and bring her back up to the ground floor. Now she could only wait and hope that they were able to complete that task in time. The hardest part was yet to come.

Actually getting Ellone back out of the temple and somewhere safe was going to take not only luck, but some good acting and a strong stomach on her part.

But it had to be done. She gripped her hand tighter around the hilt of her sword. This is what it was going to come down to...

Justice truly was complicated.

* * *

Ellone gasped and stumbled, heaving against the stone wall. It was clear to both of the knights by her side that she could barely walk, let alone get upstairs to hide in the spot they promised Beatrix they would take her.

"I'm so sorry...I know you're counting on me..."

Shaking his head roughly, Sora knelt down in the cramped damp hallway and put his hand on her shoulder. "Your health is important too!"

Sora never claimed to know a lot about girls. He always somehow managed to flub things up one way or another. Riku always told him it was because he didn't understand etiquette. And maybe right now this was breaking a ton of etiquette rules, and maybe it would make Ellone decide she didn't like him, but it was the only thing he could think of.

He turned around and offered his back towards her, kneeling on the damp stone.

"If you aren't too bothered by it, I can carry you."

Sora focused down on his shoes, not really wanting to see her face if he had offended her like he expected. To both his surprise and relief, he felt her shivering arms fumbling to feel up his back to find exactly where he was.

"Alright...my apologies for the trouble."

Her shaky fingers also confirmed his suspicions about her eyesight. Or...rather, lack of it.

Eventually she found his shoulders and clutched at them, flopping down across his back. Even with her whole body weight she was depressingly light. Were the priests even feeding her down here?

She hung her thin arms around his neck, weakly doing her best to hold on. It was taking her a moment to get comfortable, but once she was more stable they would definitely be able to more faster than before. While he couldn't see Riku at the moment, Sora could hear his feet pacing a bit further down the tunnel towards the curving stairs that he had tripped down earlier.

"I'll check up ahead. I doubt Beatrix is going to hold off the guards much longer."

Sora nodded back at his friend, hearing his footsteps circling further up the stone steps as he ascended towards the dusty study above. Ellone finally stopped shifting and seemed to find a stable position against his back.

"You holding on okay? I won't drop you, I promise."

He felt her nod softly against him. Her skin was cold, her pulse nearly visible through her waxy wrists circled around him.

"Your name is Sora...correct?"

"Yeah. Standing up now."

He very slowly, using the wall as support, lifted himself up as vertically and stiff as possible. She shifted a little, but ultimately managed to stay put.

"Let's go!"

Sora tried to keep his voice encouraging, but it felt a bit hard to be optimistic in a place like this. Ellone didn't complain once, just breathed shallowly in his ear as he steadily made his way towards the curving stairs ahead.

"Are you both knights?"

The question took him a bit by surprise. For some reason he expected her to be entirely silent unless addressed, delirious even. But perhaps it did make sense as well that after so long without human contact she would be yearning for a conversation. Despite being so out of it when he had first seen her, something he had said must have really woken her up.

"Yeah. Er, well...we were. Probably not after today." He laughed nervously. "B-but uh, none of that really matters right now."

Ellone remained silent for a moment, and Sora inwardly kicked himself again. Great, now she was probably feeling guilty over the whole thing…

Suddenly, he heard her voice in his ear, as soft as the sound of a falling leaf striking the dirt in fall. "You...said you know my brother?"

"Seifer? Yeah, he's my friend. Sorry we couldn't bring him to see you just yet."

She lowered her chin, pressing it into his back. "I fear...he may have fallen onto the wrong path in my absence."

"He might be hot-headed, but he's a good guy. Don't worry."

"I see."

Sora paused a moment and adjusted his grip on her legs, apologizing as he did so. Definitely needed to make sure he could keep her steady before starting up the looming stairs.

He took them one at a time, slowly. After a few paces he heard her voice again in his ear, gentle and quiet.

"...she spoke about you often, you know. I can tell she's very fond of you."

"H-huh? Who?"

"Miss Kairi. My room was directly below the blessing stone. She spoke to herself nearly every morning while blessing the water. Sometimes she sang."

Sora tilted his head up, but only saw the dark stone ceiling above. He wasn't sure what he expected to see. Maybe for just a moment he anticipated being able to see the pond from here or something, but it obviously wasn't visible through the rock. He hummed, not wanting to doubt what she said, but honestly wondering exactly how any of that was possible.

"She must have been talking really loud then."

Ellone's giggling was raspy and dry, but it was somewhat nice to hear her even work up the energy to try. "Voices travel quite well through water and the pipes above. It all echoed down to me."

"Oh...so I guess it isn't because you have magic ears or something."

Again, she laughed, and it came through much more clearly this time. "No, nothing like that."

Riku's footsteps came clattering back down towards them. "I can't see anyone in the temple just yet, but it looks like the entire pond outside is surrounded."

Ellone sighed, seemingly not too bothered about Riku's report. Probably because she had no idea what was really even going on at the moment.

"You really haven't changed one bit since you were a child, Sora."

Riku chuckled a bit from higher up on the staircase. "Uh-oh. She already knows your entire childhood now? How you could possibly spill that much in the thirty seconds I was gone is beyond me."

"Hey, I didn't-"

"I've seen your past. Through her eyes."

She said this so casually it was almost creepy. Sora also tried his best to ignore the amused little smirk peeking down at him from his friend's face above.

"Uh...h-hopefully you didn't see anything too bad?"

"Not at all." Ellone tightened her grip as they all finally slipped through the door marked with the figure of a lion out into the dusty room beyond it. "If anything, I understand what she sees in you."

Before Sora could respond, loud shouting and the clanking of metal echoed through the halls just outside the study. Riku cursed under his breath and shuffled them all over back behind a tall shelf lined with rows upon rows of keys.

"We're late..."

Sora could hear the yelling drawing closer and was fairly sure he recognized the voices. This was going to be...more than a little awkward if they were spotted now. If they were caught with Ellone, they would not only throw her back down into that pit, but there would be no hope of saving Kairi at all any more. It was important that no one knew where she was.

He kept his voice hushed, peeking around the corner of the shelf at the door. The sounds of movement in the hallway beyond were unmistakable.

"What are we gonna do? We still need to get her to the other room."

Riku stood up from the hiding spot and hastily snagged a key from off the hooks of the nearby rack.

"This is exactly why I didn't let you come on your own. I'll head to the room with the pipe organ in the back and start making a ruckus. You get her to the meeting place and make sure she st-"

The door to the study banged open with a crash, as if someone on the other side had kicked it in. Sora squished himself up against the tall key shelf, still trying to keep Ellone balanced on his back. Riku barely had time to do the same, flattening up against the tall piece of furniture thankfully before whoever just came storming in had noticed him.

Sora cast a quick check up at his friend's expression. If even Riku looked concerned? That would be bad. Really bad.

...and judging by the face he saw glancing back down at him, they were about two stages beyond utter disaster.

The clopping sound of metal boots began to steadily draw closer to the back of the room. As they approached, whoever it was began hurling the various desks and tables to the side, spilling books, parchment and all manner of belongings to the floor.

Riku very slowly rested his free hand on his sword, ready to pounce. Should the knight slowly approaching them step behind the shelf and turn to look over to the right...

 _Clang. Crash. Clang. Thwump._

Every step the knight drew closer the more destruction echoed across the room. Furniture was being upended every which way. Sora swallowed heavily, knowing that with Ellone on his back there was no way he was going to be able to draw his own sword. Not that he wanted to fight this guy off anyway. Getting through this without hurting anyone in the process was the ideal.

But now that he listened more closely, he realized that there were definitely at least two sets of footsteps in the room now. Riku's face also shifted slightly, having picked up on this also.

Sora held his breath, waiting as the heavy clomp of the metal shoes approached.

Make that three stages beyond disaster now.

He winced as the toes of a boot stomped just to his left and he half expected Riku to go flying out, bowling whoever it was down to the floor.

But for what felt like the longest time, no one moved. The owner of those shiny boots stood still. Sora held his breath. Ellone trembled on his back and Riku did nothing.

Finally braving to take his eyes off the floor, Sora glanced up...only to find Beatrix's shocked face, staring wide-eyed down at him.

Not knowing what else to do, he grinned weakly and waved.

She scowled back.

From the corner of his eye, Sora saw Riku quickly sign out something with his hands, point back to the shelf and indicate something else with sign language. He kind of regretted not really getting a handle on learning those signals himself, but he hadn't ever thought it was really that important before. Figures Riku would be right about chastising him about being lazy with that, too…

He had no idea what message Riku had relayed to her, but she watched them carefully a moment before about-facing on her heel and barking sharply at the other knight searching the room over.

"Flavien! The key to the music maintenance room is missing here! They may have holed themselves up inside. We must check immediately!"

Oh, so it had been Flavien who kicked the door in. Yeah, that made sense. He had always liked making an entrance. Almost as much as Seifer sometimes.

"Yes, ma'am!" Flavien's voice sounded off promptly from the other side of the room, and he charged back out with an eager yell.

"And make sure Sir Hans stays protected! He should never have gotten involved with this..."

Oh, _great_. That guy was here? Sora tried not to groan out loud and give away their position.

Beatrix loudly stomped off out of the room, but not before giving them both a sharp warning glance, not daring to say a word. It was already painfully clear that they needed to hurry.

Once there was a moment of silence again, Riku straightened and chucked the key to the pipe organ room aside. "Right. Won't need that then."

Still not knowing the plan, Sora straightened, stopping to adjust Ellone on his back for a moment again. Thankfully, Riku picked up on his confusion over what was happening now.

"Slight change of plans but still mostly the same. I'm going to confront her down there and buy you some time.

"Uh... _confront_? Wasn't she supposed to find _us_?" It didn't sound very appealing to think about Riku charging down into a whole crowd of guards alone. "Besides, I should be-"

"You've done your part." Riku gestured to the semi-limp woman dangling on his back. "Let me do mine."

"Riku, you..." His head felt heavy. The dust was far too thick in this room. "You might be going ahead, but I'm gonna follow right behind you. I promise."

"Couldn't shake you even if I tried." He thumped Sora gently on the shoulder and sighed. "Ellone, we're both counting on you. Take good care of Kairi for us."

So many things circled in Sora's mind. Things he felt like he still needed to say. But Riku somehow always seemed to know everything on his mind before he could even say it. Surely there was _some_ response he could come up with?

All he could do was smile.

And maybe that was enough.

Without another word between them, Riku charged out through the door into the hall and was gone.

Sora waited by the door, listening, but only heard a rush of indiscriminate yelling that slowly faded as everyone outside raced towards the other side of the temple. He held his breath, counted to three, and slipped out himself.

He just had to make it over to the far room. Then Ellone could hide in the back closet until Beatrix was able to find her. It was going to be okay.

Riku had done his job well, and the halls were empty. But the sounds of shouting further down the hall had him extremely concerned. Helping Ellone get settled in her hiding place wasn't too difficult, but as much as he wanted to run off and help his friend, he also felt guilty just leaving her alone in the dark again, so shortly after she had just escaped it.

"Ellone...do you remember the plan?"

She adjusted her green shawl and tried to get comfortable in the dark corner. "Yes. I will wait here for a woman named Beatrix. She will knock on the door thrice, before entering."

"Yeah. That sounds right."

Again, he was at a loss for words. But this time he couldn't smile, because he was pretty sure that wouldn't do much for someone who couldn't see anything.

"Beatrix is...prickly but really caring and determined to do what's right."

He heard another loud shout from the hall and his pulse raced faster than he thought possible.

"Sora? I do hope we meet again someday. I'll do whatever I can to save her, I swear on it."

Even with his heart pounding with worry in his chest, Sora felt the slightest rush of relief to hear those words.

"I hope so too, Ellone. And...thank you."

"You're very sweet. If I must confess something, I'm ashamed you felt the need to beg down there. Had I been more aware I would have helped you in a heartbeat. For countless years all I've wanted to do is correct that horrible mistake."

Sora gave her a soft squeeze on the hand. "Don't blame yourself. Besides, everything will be alright now."

The shouting outside grew louder.

"I know it will."

* * *

Down the hall, a fierce stand-off between Riku and Beatrix was still on-going. She charged, he feinted, and the two clashed briefly before leaping away and circling one another again. Neither was making much headway.

The rest of the guards stood dumbfounded at the fight, still unable to process how or why someone as promising and rule abiding as Riku was mixed up in all of this temple-burning nonsense. And it looked for a time like they were almost evenly matched.

But Beatrix's sword strikes were clean, elegant and hard to predict. Her missing eye didn't impede her blade in the slightest. All she needed was one quick pirouette under his guard and she knocked him down heavily to the ground.

He recovered quickly, but the damage was still done, and he halted his advance to temporarily nurse his side where undoubtedly a massive bruise was forming.

"That was sloppy of me..."

"You're a fool. Coming in here alone. What were you trying to accomplish?" Beatrix spat back at him.

"He's not alone!"

Sora's voice bounced down the hall so powerfully it nearly bowled down some of the spectating guards standing in a half circle around the battle. They split to allow him through, gawking at his presence.

Beatrix eyed him coldly. "Ah, as expected. Cockroaches always come in pairs."

"Heh..." Riku chuckled through clenched teeth. "Somehow I don't think she likes you much."

"Yeah, what is up with everyone calling me a bug, huh?" Sora reached out a hand to steady his friend.

From the looks of Riku's injury, Beatrix definitely was keeping her promise to not hold back. She kept her sword held aloft, pointed at the both of them now.

"Tell me. Why did you set fire to the temple? What are you planning?"

Oh boy. Here it is.

Sora took a deep breath and stared Beatrix down. But his words weren't for her, so he made sure to shout them as loud as he could, letting his voice once more dance down the halls of the temple, reverberating through every open space.

"I refuse to let Kairi get married tomorrow!" Seeking him out in the crowd, Sora jabbed his finger directly in Hans' direction. "She deserves better than that creep."

" _Excuse me_!? You can't talk to m-" Hans' indignation was drowned out immediately as Sora continued on undaunted with his declaration.

"I refuse to stand by and just let it happen. I'll burn this place down if it's the only way to stop it!"

A frenzied murmur of confusion rippled through the guards. Many of whom were his friends, wiping their faces in utter disbelief at the scene. Everyone was focused on the three knights at the center.

Sora stood proudly in front of them all.

"Even if its wrong for me to say so, the truth is I love her! I always have!"

The murmur rose into a roar as the knights began arguing with one another, questioning exactly what in all the seven gardens was actually happening. Hans looked absolutely furious, but no one was really paying much attention to his ranting.

Riku hissed under his breath, still clamping a hand down over his injured side. "Way to be over dramatic..."

Beatrix didn't even flinch. Her stone cold face revealing nothing but contempt.

"Your resolve to your...goals is admirable. But I will show you no mercy."

She charged at once, the fury on her face masking every sense of regret she carried in her heart.

None of the knights who looked onto that fight suspected a thing. But they watched it until its bitter end, forever remembering it as a true display of spirit. Every player had unquestionable, unyielding devotion to their cause.

Yet in the end, only one could remain standing. Unbeknownst to those spectators ogling the battle, it wasn't a fair fight. It was never meant to be.

So she took no joy in her victory.

* * *

Beatrix tried not to visibly wince as the semi limp bodies of the two knights were hurled roughly to the ground. Having born the brunt of her initial attack after purposefully lowering his guard, Riku was looking completely dazed. Sora, however, was already stirring slightly. That one definitely had a stubborn resolve, even when he had already agreed to throw the fight.

Standing over the two of them was the head priest, Grand Maester Mika, a haggard old man with more bulging veins than skin on the surface of his arms. While he typically seemed frail, he was anything but. With an unexpected surge of strength and wrenched Sora's head up by a handful of his spiked hair.

"Where is she!?"

Sora groaned and winced in equal measure, not even conscious enough to answer. The priest roared in anger and released the fistful of hair, letting Sora's head flop back down to the stone before upending a bucket of pool water down onto him. Sora mumbled something into the stone and the priest whipped back around, indicating for two of the guards to lift him back up to his knees.

"What did you just say?"

Still half-groggy, Sora barely managed to tumble out a coherent sentence. "...I don't know who...you're talking-"

"You know _who_ you cretin!" Mika smacked him across the face, his thick ring leaving a noticeable scratch across Sora's cheek.

More awake now, but clearly in more pain, Sora still said nothing.

"Who orchestrated this!? Was it him?" The priest jammed a finger fiercely at Riku's still slumped body, now only slightly starting to wake. One of the guards held a boot firmly down over his head, just in case he tried anything from his prone position.

Sora's body was still shaking, but slowly recovering as he continued to take steady, even breaths. "No...he was only helping me..."

"So you admit this was your doing then!?"

Sora lifted his chin to look up at the winkled face of the priest hovering over him with an expression of nothing but twisted hatred. But he didn't blink nor even flinch into the face of such rage.

"Grand Maester, if I may...he openly declared his intentions to the entire regiment here." Beatrix tried to explain, but Hans came darting out from behind her, interrupting furiously.

"That fool! He tried to set fire to this holy place! Fully admitted to his lewd desires for _my_ bride."

For the first time, Sora reacted, struggling against the arms that held him back. "Lewd!? And she's not your _property_ you stuck up puffin!"

" _Puffin!?_ Listen here you little insignificant dirt clod on my boot..."

"Enough!" The priest shrieked in rage again, and lifted his hand over Sora's face, threatening yet another slap. "It's clear you orchestrated this, then. So tell me, _where is she_!?"

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

Sora winced again as the guards twisted his arms back under the direction of the head priest. The priest held nothing back as he rained his stiff hand down repeatedly onto his captive before running short on breath. If he had been more sprightly, he probably would have continued for several more blows.

Eagerly, Hans stepped forward. "I wouldn't mind having a go. This upstart obviously needs to be beaten down."

He cracked his knuckles and gave Sora a fully unrestrained smack on the side of his face, smugly pleased with the red mark it left on his skin.

"I'll make sure you _never_ see her again. You failed, and you will suffer for it. Just the thought brings me joy, that your stupid plan was so hastily stamped out."

Beatrix furrowed her brow. Obviously no one had told Hans about Ellone, or he wouldn't be so confident at the moment. Just scanning the crowd it was clear who was in the know and who wasn't. His little speech also served only to confirm that Sora had been right about every poor word he said about the man.

The duke sneered again and gave Sora another smack, this time with the back of his white glove. "So much joy that I think later today when she gives her heart to me and we lean in for our first, sweet kiss, I'll close my eyes and be sure to think about your pining face."

Somehow, Sora found the energy to chuckle towards the ground. "Might wanna rephrase that."

" _Why you_ -"

Hans gave Sora one brutal punch in the stomach. He heaved and coughed painfully, trying to fill the air back in his lungs that had all at once been knocked out. It was hard to watch, but Beatrix maintained her stone cold expression, knowing one single twitch of her face could give it all away. Pacing back and forth, Mika wrung his hands desperately, casting glances in her direction.

"General! Ah...former general, I mean...I know you transferred from your position, but please...he has freed a _very_ dangerous criminal. One who will likely do everything in her power to find the princess. We must locate and stop her."

"Understood. Emergencies like this leave no time to squabble over titles. I've already directed the captain's men on where to search. If she hasn't already fled, we will find her."

A truthful statement. However, naturally she wasn't going to mention that there was one room she had glossed over when doling out orders. She was going to make sure she searched that room herself. Later. Alone.

And of course then report there was absolutely no one there at all.

"After the search, if she still has not turned up, I will be sure to guard the princess personally. We can't take any chances."

Bowing deeply, Mika rubbed at the wrinkles of worry creasing across his forehead. "Yes...yes of course."

The temporary calm that filled the Grand Maester immediately faded when he turned back around to face Sora, still hanging in the clutches of the guards and Riku who was now being yanked up to his feet, still disoriented.

"Do you realize what you have done!? You may have doomed us all! I will make sure of it that you suffer for this. If you speak, and tell us the truth I can guarantee you far less pain than what is to follow should you refuse."

Absolute silence was the response.

"Where is she!? Where is the witch!?"

As she expected, Sora said nothing. His eyes were marred with pain, but there wasn't a single fragment of weakness or regret in them. They shone back a brilliant bright blue, the same color as a cloudless sky.

"Drag him away to the prison cellars! And take that other one with him! I'm sure the warden will think of plenty of ways to open them up."

Beatrix cursed inwardly, and bowed to take her leave. Those boys were going to need a miracle.

Hopefully Ellone was going to be able to provide it. But before she could work her magic, that poor weak girl hiding in the back of a closet needed help.

* * *

"Why aren't you answering me!?"

Kairielis hissed at the back of the former general, shuffling along behind her, still trying to adjust the sleeves of the sundress she had only barely managed to throw on before getting marched out of her room like livestock off to pasture.

She had far too many questions and Beatrix was answering none of them. But by far the strangest thing was the slumped over form of her cousin resting in her wheeled chair being carted along just in front of her. Why had Beatrix even brought her cousin over here? If she woke up...

And what was up with the heavy shawl draped over Namine's whole body, like it was the middle of winter, completely covering every inch of her skin? Had there been a fire at the temple or not?

And more importantly…

Were Sora and Riku okay?

"Beatrix, please! Even if you must drag me off somewhere why are you forcing Namine along as well? She's already had a horrid fit just the other day in the temple, and-"

"Princess. Your questions are well warranted, but now is not the time."

She stomped her foot against the tile. She was far _far_ too grouchy to deal with this right now. Even ignoring the fact that she was supposed to be getting married today, of all the horrid things that she had to put up with, being treated like a child was not something she was willing to grin and bear so easily.

"I have a right to know matters that concern me!"

"Indeed you do." Despite her emphatic agreement, Beatrix didn't stop and just continued wheeling Namine down the hallway towards one of the infirmary rooms. "Those two boys you are so fond of risked everything to make sure that you can truly know. If you want to honor that sacrifice, please come quickly and quietly."

"Wh...s- _sacrifice_!?" The word alone filled her with absolute dread. "B-beatrix, they're...please tell me they aren't..."

The former general finally stopped pushing the wheeled chair, gripping the handles so tightly that Kairielis could see her knuckles turning white.

"They are alive. For now. But there isn't much time."

Kairielis suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe, and every slight gasp she forced into her lungs burned like a lemon soaked parchment cut.

"Now that you understand, come. And try to look presentable so no one grows suspicious." Beatrix then stiffly resumed her journey down the hall.

This time, Kairielis fell in behind her, wrapping her arms around herself tightly, wishing she could hide her face away from the world under a deep hood like her cousin right now. How was she supposed to look _calm_?

They passed one of the cleaning staff doing her best to wipe down some smudges on a window and the maid temporarily glanced up at the two of them, tipping her head in slight concern at the procession of the wheeled chair and the princess following behind.

Kairielis tried to greet her in a chipper tone, to assuage any fears that this wasn't a perfectly acceptable situation, but must not have been very convincing.

The maid narrowed her eyes for a moment at her cousin's slouching form. "Pardon my intrusion, but is Miss Namine quite alright with, erm...being out?"

Well, time to put those diplomatic skills to the test again.

Kairielis cupped her hands together and lowered her voice as if in apology. "No, no, pardon us! We are just testing out a new therapy for her is all. If she can put up with going on a little morning stroll with me then maybe she can come to the light bonding ceremony today. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Nodding in understanding, the maid hastily curtsied and shuffled to the side to allow enough room for them to pass. "Oh, that _would_ be. Best of luck and please take care."

Thank the gods that excuse actually worked. Beatrix gave her an appreciative nod and continued on.

Ugh, she never should have given Riku that key. Whatever those two had just done it must have been...bad. Gods, and it's not like she had any ability to pardon anything too serious if they had really gone and done something extreme.

When they finally reached the correct infirmary room, Beatrix stopped to first hold the door open for her to enter. Kairielis stepped into the room and shivered. It wasn't that the room was particularly...cold, there was just something off about it.

Everything seemed to be mostly in order, though. There were two beds here, and it was quite small all things considered. One of the beds was empty, but tucked in the other, her cousin was still resting quite peacefully.

Wait.

Namine...was…

She whirled around to the door just as Beatrix shut it behind her, still holding the handles of the wheelchair, pushing...whoever-that-was closer.

"W-who..."

Two bone-thin shaking arms lifted up to slide off the heavy draping hood, revealing a gaunt, skeletal woman beneath.

"It's been a long time, Miss Kairi. My name is Ellone."

"U-um..." She had so many questions she didn't even know where to begin.

"I can tell by your voice that it's you. For years my only light and comfort was the sound of your voice echoing down every morning through the waters of the temple from above. I heard you singing quite often as well. Perhaps I heard many words you intended to only say to your mother, and I apologize for eavesdropping, but it was comforting to me nonetheless."

The woman, Ellone, as she called herself shifted a bit in her chair, tipping her head back and forth to listen more closely about the room.

"There is another girl here, yes? Perhaps Miss Namine? Oh the poor dear..."

Kairielis was baffled, but stepped to the side, so that she could get a look at her cousin resting in the bed. However, she didn't seem to even notice or react to her movement at all.

She realized all at once why.

The woman was blind.

"Y-you live in the temple? Pardon me but...Beatrix, where are Sora and Riku. What is going _on_?"

Beatrix sighed and wheeled the chair over to the foot of Namine's bed, gesturing for Kairielis to sit down on the other.

"There is a lot to explain. And right now several fates hang in the balance. Lives that depend on you to listen to what she is about to tell you. Including the lives of those two."

Kairielis nodded, clutching at the hem of her dress. She didn't know _exactly_ what that meant, but understood well enough.

Ellone cuddled her thick shawl closer and struggled to clear her throat. Before she could even ask, Beatrix had already nudged her with a fresh cup of something to quench her thirst. Ellone's hands were so shaking and weak she was having trouble taking a sip, so Beatrix reached over and assisted with even that.

"I am...currently not in any state to use my powers, so please give me a moment to recover. In that time, I will explain." She took another slow sip. "Your dear Sora came to rescue me, with his friend Riku at his side. Both, I assume, are now being held under charges of treason."

" _What_!?"

"Please, Miss Kairi, not so loud or you will draw attention to us here. This must be kept a secret, for I am no doubt considered a dangerous criminal."

While Ellone had no sight, there was something piercing and mysterious about her gaze, like she was staring deep into her soul. Kairielis could only sit back down silently, fiddling with her dress in nervous anticipation.

"I am a sorceress, you see. With the ability to manipulate what binds us all together. Our hearts, and the memories within them."

"A sorceress...like Maleficent?"

"Indeed. She was my teacher. But I will come to that later."

Kairielis gasped, and recoiled a little on the bed. That little revelation just added a ton of new questions into the mix, but she clamped her mouth down and kept quiet. Sora and Riku were far more important right now.

Ellone thanked Beatrix for the drink, then folded her hands across her lap, sighing.

"The reason you cannot remember your past, Kairi, is because I was forced to steal it away from you. And because memories cannot simply vanish, I had to place them elsewhere. Namine was so similar to you, both in body and spirit that she was considered an acceptable vessel."

"V-vessel? Wh...memories can't just be...can they?"

Ellone continued as if not hearing her question. "Kairi, I know for a fact your memories are inside her right now. The process, however, left her with some horrid side-effects. The memories were not meant to be there. Her psyche fought back against them the whole time, so instead of lying dormant in the back of her head, they are constantly in turmoil inside of her, rendering her utterly trapped."

Kairielis gazed in horror at the peacefully slumbering form of her cousin. What was happening? None of this made any sense...

But if this woman really understood what was going on with Namine, perhaps she was the only person in the world who could help.

"C-can you fix it?"

"When my strength returns, if you allow me, I would certainly like to try."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to all the people who have been giving me comments this whole time. I am absolutely grateful that you have taken the effort to not only read all of this so far but comment as well. It really means a lot.**

 **To the few that have been leaving comments on nearly every chapter...**

 **what-a-wannabe: Wow, thank you so so much. I cannot even tell you... The enthusiasm in your responses always manages to make my day. I don't want to give anything away about the ending, but I'm doing my best to make it something that will resolve everything fully.**

 **Q-A the Authoress: You are always really prompt with your reviews it's impressive! I'll do my best to keep rocking it, as you suggest.**

 **KHLostEmpress: Hopefully this chapter is interesting as well! Thank you for always coming back to read my updates.**

 **From here on I decided to try and be more personally engaging with you guys, so if there is ever any concern or question don't worry about bringing it up.**

 **I'll keep trying my best!**


	15. Ch 15: Darkfall (part 1)

Thunder clapped across the sky, warning of the storm churning in the darkness of the night. Kairi could barely see anything from under the cloak that had been draped over her like a tablecloth. It dangled below her ankles, tripping up her feet as she tried desperately to keep up through the garden. She tugged on the edges of the hood drooping in front of her eyes, smelling its intense over perfumed smell of chamomile. Her mother had let her borrow it special, and it was even in her favorite light pink color. The loam was uneven, slightly damp from the light pattering of rain already beginning to fall.

"Sweetheart, you must run faster!"

Urged by her mother, she tried to run. Her tiny foot sank into a pit and she tumbled into a puddle, staining the cheery pink cloth with smudges of something liquid and sticky.

"Oh..." She lifted her arm up, mournfully staring at the mess she had made of her mother's cloak. "Mommy, I'm sorry..."

Her mother wrung her hands and glanced about the garden, as if she was looking for someone. But who? The danger should be gone now, right? The guards were very strong, and she was always told to believe in them. They would save her from anything. Not only that, the horrid dinging of the alarm had already stopped some time ago. So everything must be okay by now! It must be safe!

Kairi simply couldn't understand why her mother had insisted on taking her out into the garden instead of just going back to bed. She did her best to stagger up to her feet, clumsily rubbing her mulch covered hands together to try and clean them. She lifted her chin hopefully up towards her mother, but saw only terror looking back at her. No, looking past her. Just over…

"Run! Run now to our little island and don't look back. I'll be right behind you, I promise."

Kairi shivered, suddenly feeling as if something dreadfully cold was right behind her. And she was too frozen to turn and look at it. Something hissed softly behind her.

"M-mo-"

"Kairi! Go!"

Somehow she gained enough energy in her tiny little legs to race towards the sea of sunflowers she knew would be ahead of her, just past the temple garden. Tears and nose streaming, she sniffled and stumbled her way across the lawn, a tiny pink speck moving through the darkness. A dark figure slid in front of her and she yelped, stopping so suddenly she splatted face first into the mud. Trembling, she pried herself up from the squelching grip of the muck and stared at who was looming ahead.

She remembered him! A castle guard, here to protect them! She remembered him because of his very broad shoulders and pointed beard.

"M-mister guard sir-"

Her tiny shaking words felt like they were plopping heavily into the mud and sinking. He wasn't acknowledging her at all. And there was something...wrong with him. His eyes were shining in the dark, like a cat, glowing a bright golden yellow. She could hear a steady dripping sound and tipped her fearful eyes down towards his boots, where a dark inky black pool was forming. It was seeping out from him, dripping down from his very skin.

"Princess, you have something of mine." He had a twisted smile on his face and took one soggy step towards her. "I will have it back."

"N-no! Get away from me!"

Her little fingers clenched around a clump of dirt and she hurled it at him, clawing her way back up to her feet. She didn't wait to see if her aim had been true. She shrieked, bolting towards the place her mother told her to go. Their safe wonderful place full of sunflowers and music.

Panting, she darted between the tall stalks of flowers, batting them to the sides as she rushed towards the center. Wheezing laughter rippled across the field of flowers, snapping her head back in the direction she had just run from. It almost sounded like a pig, squealing.

"Where have you gone, little princess?"

Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled, crouching down amid the tall sunflowers, praying that the owner of that voice could not see her. Another voice, the same man with the pointed beard started calling out to her as well.

"Now isn't the time for playing games. Come out before we get angry."

She heard a swift metallic swish. No doubt swords were being unsheathed and she clamped her hands down over her mouth. It was uncomfortable and hot but every breath she took sounded so, so loud otherwise.

Snapping twigs and the soft thunk of sunflowers being crushed and slashed aside reached her, slowly drawing closer and she scuttled backwards as silently as possible.

Eventually they were going to find her. The field seemed so vast and endless but she knew, of course, that it wasn't.

She squeezed her eyes shut, shivering in the dark and the cold against her own knees.

"Leave Her Highness alone!"

A voice, a shockingly normal voice, triumphantly cried out across the field. It must have been a guard, but she couldn't see over the tops of the swaying flowers.

"Princess if you are there, you must flee to the temple! Your mother is-"

But she couldn't hear what he had to say about her mother. The sounds of battle interrupted whoever that knight was, and she took her chance to run once more. As she fled, she turned to look back at the guard who had saved her, but she didn't even know his name.

It felt so wrong that she didn't know.

He was standing against those two dark, dripping, and evil others all on his own. She wouldn't know who to thank after. And for the first time in her panicked run to the temple, she had a sudden heart-wrenching worry that, actually, perhaps...there wouldn't be an after.

It was only until she saw her mother reaching out to her on the steps of the temple entrance that she felt relief again. Many of the priests were still around, boarding up windows and shoving all available furniture in the direction of the doors.

Just as she stumbled inside they slammed them shut, piling the stack of chairs and tables behind her. There was one lone guard here who remained, looking just as terrified as everyone else, his spear rattling against the stone as he struggled to keep his grip on it. He was lost in his own mind, mumbling to himself.

"H-he was my comrade. Why would he turn on me? His eyes...those eyes..."

Kairi stood helplessly at the center of the chaos, turning from one harrowed face to the other, before finally gazing out at the sparkling water of the holy pool just next to her. She had spent so many hours every day trying to learn Refraction like they told her. But the light burned her fingertips, and a heavy weight felt like it was punching into her stomach over and over until she was so nauseous she had to stop. She just couldn't do it properly.

They said it wasn't her fault that she couldn't. That she was too young to handle it yet.

But from the horrified faces of the priests around her, and the ashen white face of her mother, sagging, clutching at her side with pained gasps...somehow Kairi knew that this all could have been prevented if she was just that little bit stronger. She ripped her dirtied shoes off, casting them to the side, wiped at the mud on her face and sped right into the shallows of the pool.

"K-Kairi!" Her mother called her name, hoarsely, limping after her. But Kairi kept wading further into the water until it reached up to her waist, shivering at the chill of it.

"I have to do it right this time!"

She pinched her eyes shut and tried to force the light out, but it only hurt. She couldn't stop shaking, her weak body sending ripples across the whole pool as she sobbed, struggling to make more than a faint flickering pulse of light.

"Why...aren't I g-good enough yet?"

The priests started yelling, and she heard a crash, but she kept concentrating. A wave washed up against her back as someone entered the water behind her.

"Sweetheart, none of this is because of you..."

Her mother's voice was sweet and soft, but Kairi shook her head, burrowing her chin down into her chest and kept fighting against the horrible burning moving up her entire arm.

"Oh the contrary, _all_ of this is because of her."

The gruff voice broke her focus and she spun around to see a mess of furniture splayed across the entryway and the guard with the pointy beard who had been chasing her stood amid the wreckage, next to another more stocky one. He must have been the one with the horrid pig-laugh. Priests were shrinking away, horrified. Some of them were clawing at the windows in an attempt to tear down their own barricades. The lone guard still stood, in shock, muttering to himself in the corner. Dark inky vines were snaking across the floor from somewhere outside, as if some plant made of licorice was growing up behind it.

Her mother was standing quite still in the water next to her. But there was something...odd about the water now. Kairi shivered and glanced down at it, nearly screaming when she saw the color was tinged red.

Why? Why was it red?

"Not going to run this time? Already resigned to your fate?"

Kairi said nothing, only glanced up at her mother in fear. Her mother also remained silent, still clenching at her side, breathing heavily.

Just as she suspected earlier, the stocky guard laughed at them, snorting and pig-like. He was covered in the dripping dark goop, and it began to spread across the tiles, stopping just short of the edge of the water.

"We will crush the light out of her if we must. It is ours."

One of the priests, with a yell, grabbed up a curtain rod that had been torn to the floor and charged straight at the former knights.

"You will not have her!"

Almost as if bored, both knights stepped aside from his charge, one sticking out their leg to trip him. The priest flopped across the ground. Before he could get up, the portly guard stomped down on his back and reached behind him to pluck something off the steadily growing plant just outside the door.

He sneered, then dropped what looked like a spiny black sea urchin right on top of the priest. He howled, and clutched at the injury, rolling across the floor but no matter how much he tried to pull it off, the spikes stayed lodged in his shoulder.

Wheezing, the priest staggered up to his feet. Only now did the muttering lone guard register what was happening, and backed away from the shuffling priest in fear.

"N-no! That's how it happened before! Like an infection!" He reached for his spear, almost rabid with fear. "It must be purged! It must be!"

Kairi could no longer see what was happening, as her mother stepped in front of her to block the sight. But she could hear it: gasps of pain, screaming, what sounded like the snapping of dry twigs. Even her mother seemed horrified by it, turning away but still refusing to step aside.

One of the knights from before clicked his tongue. "Don't fight it. You shouldn't deny the darkness. It can grant you strength. Answers. If you knew the truth you'd feel the same way."

More depraved screaming followed and she felt like throwing up. Were they really only here for her? She pinched her eyes shut and shivered in the cold water, not wanting to look at the dark red color. Not wanting to hear the screaming.

"S-stop it...stop it, please..."

"Don't worry princess. It will be over soon."

Her mother snarled at them. "If you think for one moment that I will _ever_ let you hurt her..."

Kairi couldn't take it any more and sobbed even more heavily into the pool. Her mother moved closer, patting the outside of the hood that she still had draped over her head.

"My little one. This is very important, so listen closely."

It was so hard to. All the priests were screaming now. She nodded and tried to focus only on her mother.

"They have come for your birthright. To claim your power as their own. But you are so much more than that cursed magic. Your heart is so beautifully kind, Kairi. I believe the true light is inside of you. I was told the truth. Maybe I was foolish to seek the council of a witch, but..."

Dark laughter filled the air and a chorus of voices began to sing tauntingly awful things at them. It was getting harder to ignore.

 _Nowhere to run. Nothing to do. Your light will perish, here._

"Kairi, look at me. You are strong. I know you are. Never forget that you are more than just your titles. Who you truly are has nothing to do with your name."

Her mother's eyes smiled down on her, no longer marred by pain.

"You must survive. Your compassion and kindness is what will save this world, I know it. Perhaps everyone may hate me for this, but I will not let them take you. Even if your birthright is gone, as long as you live your light will be safe."

"I d-don't understand...m-mo-"

"I love you, Kairi."

Her mother's damp arms reached out and clutched her close, squeezing her tight. And suddenly the icy chill of the water was nothing but warm. The furious beating of her mother's heart pattered in her ear, so close to her, and she trembled in fearful awe at it.

A hug. The first one she could remember.

She looked up into her mother's loving face, just as she felt something gently brush across the side of her cheek, wiping away her errant tears.

Her mother's gloves, discarded, were gently bobbing across the waves of the pool. The one rule she was never supposed to break, so easily shattered in an instant.

Kairi froze. She expected to be afraid. But she was feeling nothing but the heat warming her face. Feeling nothing but her mother's love.

Her senses filled with the distinctive sharp scent of chamomile, and a glowing light steadily growing in intensity surrounded everything. She was vaguely aware of pain, but only sank into her mother's hug, seeking the one comfort she had never been allowed to have.

And everything around her faded to nothing.

* * *

Nothing was in the right place. Everything was damp and felt...heavy.

Groggily, she tried to lift her head and move, but her body was held fast, paralyzed. Something cold and stiff clutched her around her waist and she couldn't squirm away.

Everything looked so...fuzzy. It all felt too cold.

She glanced down and noticed the weighty object clutching her were her mother's arms, but they seemed...unusually stiff. Where had her mother's warmth gone? Her own arms were weak as limp grass, and it took everything she could to clutch at her mother, trying to feel for any fragment of the warm light that had so comforted her before.

But there was nothing.

Weakly, she collapsed and looked around her.

Where...was she? It smelled strange, like a musty closet. There was a constant dripping sound echoing around her, and she could vaguely hear two people talking just in front of her. No, they were shouting.

As her vision slowly focused she realized she was in a completely unfamiliar place. There was barely any light, it stank horribly and there was water and sludge everywhere. Her mother still refused to move, and there were two complete strangers standing at the other end of the room.

The one facing her was a tall woman, wearing a very strange horned hat. She was emanating hatred and anger. Kairi was still groggy, but she already knew the last thing she wanted was for that woman to come any closer.

Luckily there was someone else standing between them. A boy. Maybe about her age. He was quite scrawny, his clothes tattered and covered in holes. Kairi was confused just looking at him. Why would his parents have let him go out dressed like that? Let alone have clothes in that state?

The woman, as if sensing she was awake, locked eyes with her and sneered.

"It seems the job is not yet finished...step aside, urchin."

Digging in his heels, the boy suddenly launched at the woman, scrabbling at her and biting down one her finger, hard.

"You bit me!? You mangy _beast_ of a boy!" She swatted him away heavily, and he splashed into a shallow puddle of the slimy water.

"Since you insist on getting involved, I'll make sure you perish as well."

She outstretched her arm and a roar filled the entire room. Kairi had no idea what was happening, but she knew it was bad. Turning, she tried to shake her mother awake, but she wasn't moving.

"M-mommy..."

When she turned back to look, she was horrified at the wall of water charging straight towards her. A wave, surging from the tunnel beyond came crashing into the empty space, swelling even higher.

Kairi panicked, struggling even harder to rouse her mother before the wave hit them.

It was no use. The water struck her hard, knocking what little breath she had out of her body and for a moment she lost her vision, completely dazed. It also knocked her free from her mothers' grasp and she floundered, alone and dizzy.

Pain in her lungs stirred her back awake, but the currents of the water were still batting her around like a limp leaf and she could see only the grime and cloudiness of the dank water surrounding her. She swished her arms through the water, hoping to find where her mother was, but felt nothing.

Her lungs burned now, and she needed to breathe. She kicked at the water, but had no idea which direction was up. Or if there even was any more air left in that room. Somehow a whole flood had been summoned right there, and she could barely move as it was let alone fight against it.

No, no, no, no. She had to get out of here. Please…

And from the dark water that looked almost like smoke, she saw a lone hand reaching for her. The current threatened to pull her away, like an invisible hand tugging at her ankles. She hesitated, watching the hand more desperately struggle to get closer to her. She wasn't supposed to...

But…

 _You must survive_

Her mother's words echoing through her mind, she kicked and struggled towards the hand offered to her. It was the boy from before, also spun out of control in the rushing water. The current was strong, but she kept swimming straight towards him, reaching up, knowing it was her only hope of escape. He struggled to reach her in return, fighting against the water.

And just as her fingertips brushed against his, his hand twitched in recognition and grabbed hold of hers firmly. Her vision was going dark, the pain unbearable. She had no idea who she was clinging to, where her mother was, or where the current was sweeping them, and was starting to give in to despair. Was there even a way out?

Their hands latched together, they rode through the tidal wave. For a brief moment, their eyes met. There was fear in his eyes, but something else entirely.

The tiniest speck of hope.

* * *

The ground was cold and hard, but it was ground nonetheless. She dragged herself onto the bank, spluttering, shivering, and alive. The boy next to her was gasping for air, coughing up the mucky water that had gotten in his lungs. She lay in the dirt, pressing her face to the side to check on him.

He glanced over at her, still coughing a bit, sopping wet, but inexplicably smiling.

"H-hey...we made it!"

She blinked back, stunned and numb. Never before had she felt so lost and confused. But at least his smile was comforting.

"H-hello..."

It was still night outside, and the sudden breeze made them both shiver at the same time. And that was when she noticed their hands were still connected, both still tightly squeezing each other. The sight almost made her panic again, her breathing still shallow from the water, coming out in choked gasps.

"Y-you're touching me."

She yanked her hand away from his. His face blinked back at her in confusion but he released his grip without a word.

"N-no one is supposed to! Not even...my mom, she...my..."

The chill of the fresh air caught her off guard again and she curled inwards, trying to escape it all as the memory flooded back. Determination forcing herself up to her hands and knees, she tried to figure out where she was. But it was all dark and unfamiliar.

"Mommy, she...I left her behind!" Her voice broke into a sob, and she clawed her way across the wet grass back towards the water. "I have to find her!"

"Stop..." The boy rushed over, holding out his hands, urging her not to crawl any further towards the raging storm water. "Your mom is...your mom…." He paused, and gulped as if the words were too difficult to say.

His whole body was trembling as well from the cold. "S-she told me to take care of you. And it's too dangerous in the water. Let's go find somewhere safe, okay?"

"But..."

Another cold burst of wind and her complaints caught in her throat. Her teeth rattled. The rush of the stream was still moving so fast. Even if she jumped in, there was no way she could swim back in to where her mother had been. It would just drag her further away.

The boy pointed over to a tiny hole chipped in the side of a rocky cliff behind them, barely big enough for one, let alone two small children to crawl into. She sagged, staring back at the dark stream, feeling more helpless than ever. Next to her, the boy kept looking like he wanted to lead her back to shelter in the small cave, but he hesitated at grabbing her hand again.

"I want to help you. Please?"

His hair was messy and stuck out all over the place, but despite its unruliness it didn't hide the soft kindness in his eyes. He was the only thing she had right now and she didn't even know who he was. She bobbed her head slowly at him in agreement.

It didn't matter any more.

The light was gone. She had felt it pouring out of her after her mother touched her face. She felt so...different, and changed, much like that odd feeling just after a haircut, only emptier. And heavier.

For so long she had thought it unfair that she had such a responsibility in the first place. Namine could do so many things she wasn't allowed to that it made her jealous. So many times she had wished the power gone. But now that it _was_...

Somehow she let him pull her back to the cave, where she slumped to the dirt still dazed; still so cold. They must have been washed out to the outskirts of town somewhere, further from the castle than she had ever been in her life. Once more she collapsed in on herself, and as much as she wanted to, she was too tired to cry.

"This is all my fault...because of me, everyone..."

"Don't say that! I dunno _what_ is going on, but there's no way you caused any of it!" Without warning the boy wrapped his arms around her and snuggled up close. "I know it's scary out there but, I'm gonna stay with you."

She could feel his heart thumping against her, heat spreading across her body where he held her. She felt him against her arm, her skin prickling where he touched it. Instinctively she almost shoved him off, but couldn't bring herself to do it. It was...nice. She sank into him, swallowing her guilt back.

"You shouldn't..." She shivered. "You shouldn't stay close to me. If you do you'll get hurt. If those monsters are still out there they'll come looking for me..."

"Monsters, huh? I'm not afraid! If any monster comes by I'll hit it so hard it'll go flying! " He made a little motion with his arm, pretending to whack something invisible in front of them. "Bam! Take that!"

He pulled a goofy face, sticking his tongue out towards his pretend defeated monster. She giggled, but immediately felt guilty again about having done so.

"But I'm still putting you in danger, and, I'm..." Fresh tears leaked out and she sniffed again. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."

He knocked himself on the head and toothily grinned. "No worries here! My head is super tough! The toughest! Nothing'll hurt me!"

Lowering his head down, he pointed to it. "Wanna try?"

Even then in the dark and the cold, she was surprised she could still smile. "It's okay. I believe you."

He lifted his head, once more giving her a glimpse of his very blue eyes. "Besides, I promised your mom."

"R-really?"

He nodded, and once more showed her that unusually cheery smile, given the circumstances. "Really, really! And when I make promises I keep them. Honest!"

She curled into his hug, still shivering. The cave really wasn't the best shelter after all. The crawl space was small, and even huddled together they both barely fit.

There was no reason to trust this stranger, but there was something abut him that really did seem honest. Something she liked. And at least he was warm. Like her mother had been…

Deep in her heart she was sure she already knew what the boy had been so hesitant to tell her earlier. It was the same reason why her mother had felt so cold against her, before the giant wave. The reason why the water in the temple had been running red.

Her mother was gone. Her light was gone. Everything was...

It took her a while to finally stop sobbing, but the strange boy remained huddled next to her the whole time, never complaining once.

Yet even with him next to her, as night continued on it soon became unbearably freezing against the rock in their wet clothes. Even though she had her mothers' cloak, the only other thing she was wearing was a sopping wet evening gown. His clothes, all full of holes, probably weren't the best to be wearing out in these conditions either. But her mother told her to survive.

If she remained here like this, she wasn't sure if she could.

"Will the sun come out soon?"

He shivered and shook his head. "I d-dunno. B-but maybe we should get m-moving and find a better place to w-wait."

She took one more longing look back at the stream of water. It had calmed somewhat, but it still looked impossible to return to wherever they had come from.

Barely whispering, she nodded back to him. "Okay..."

The two of them struggled to stand up, their knees both frozen and stiff. His were so bone thin they almost rattled when they shook. She also noticed he had quite a few bruises all over. Wasn't he in pain? Maybe he had it much worse than her.

Shrugging off her cloak she spun around and draped it over him, tugging on it to pull it past his messy hair. He staggered in surprise, holding his arms out to stare at the pink jacket, stunned.

"Uh, thanks, but..."

"But what?"

"It's...pink." He frowned down at himself, still holding his arms out to get a better look at the stained cloak.

"What's wrong with pink? It's my favorite color!" She squished her lips together and crossed her arms, trying her best to emulate the look her mother often gave her when she was misbehaving. "And you'd better take good care of it too, it's my mother's."

It looked like he was opening his mouth up again to complain, so she interjected again before he had the chance.

"You can't possibly be warm in those clothes, they are full of holes. Just take it for now."

He begrudgingly nodded his head, but sniffed a bit at the hood and wrinkled his nose. "It smells funny..."

"Stop complaining, you doofus!"

Still looking a bit stunned for only a moment more, he suddenly burst into laughter. "You're funny."

Were boys always like this? Namine certainly wasn't anything like him at all.

"But are you really gonna be okay without it? You only have... _that_." He pointed over towards her dress and she huffed again, crossing her arms. It almost sounded like he had another stream of complaints coming her way.

"What's wrong with my dress?"

"Uh, well I dunno...I guess, maybe it's a little too frilly?"

Her jaw hung open. Was he serious? She stamped her foot on the ground and shivered. "I wasn't _actually_ asking!"

"But you...huh?" He looked so honestly confused it was actually kind of cute in a strange way. It reminded her of a sweet little puppy. And she had a feeling he was mostly just worried about her being cold, not trying to insult her so she decided to let it go. It was far too cold to stand around arguing anyway.

"It's okay, I'll be fine." Another touch of wind brushed against her now bare shoulders and she rubbed at them, remembering how warm he had just been while he was hugging her. "B-but maybe we could stay close? Is that okay?"

He eagerly jumped to her side and bobbed his head. "Let's go! Uh..."

Glancing back and forth for a moment between the shadows of the trees and rocks, he finally jabbed his finger triumphantly off into the distance. "That way!"

Using each other for support, they managed to hobble forward into the dim forest around them. He seemed to be confidently leading their stunted charge, but she was utterly lost. Every one of the stooping trees looked just the same as the other.

"Do you know where we are?"

He paused a moment, glancing from tree to tree, nodded sagely to himself and laughed. "Nope. No idea."

She chewed at her bottom lip and blinked back at him. "Um, so...why are we going this way?"

It was clear he didn't have an answer, and he laughed again.

"Did...you wanna go somewhere else?"

Kairi saw the maze of trees swaying in the cold breeze all around them and tipped her head, considering. Maybe he did have a point. Any direction was as good as any other. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe following the river would be a better idea. It must lead back into town, or at least to the farms just outside the city walls.

Pointing over to it, she offered her suggestion to follow the banks instead. Cheerily the boy nodded and followed her direction without complaint.

Wasn't he scared to be out here on his own? He certainly was strange. But maybe this was just how people outside of the castle were? It's not like she had really met anyone her age outside of the castle before. Or...any boys for that matter.

Together they followed the flowing river, and she tried not to think about her mother. No matter where she looked, however, there was nothing but darkening trees, rocks, and the river. Nothing that could distract her from the reality bearing down on her. She tried to sniffle back the tears, but they were impossible to hide and she noticed the boy kept glancing at her as they walked side by side. More than ever she wished she still had a tissue or something to wipe her nose.

"It's okay if you want to cry."

He said this so simply she couldn't help but stare. Most people taught her the exact opposite. It was impolite to cry in public, let alone let her nose run and stain her dress. A princess wasn't meant to be weak and cry. She had to be elegant, regal and above all, never show weakness that could be exploited. Not only had she been caught, but he so casually dismissed the rules it was shocking. She had no idea how to respond, but luckily he seemed content to let her keep walking and say nothing at all.

As it turned out, rounding the bends of the river ended up being a good idea after all.

They stumbled, shivering upon the edge of a lonely farm. It was quiet, which was both slightly eerie but comforting. At least there weren't any more screams or cries from fighting.

She stood up on her tip-toes so she could peek over the fence at the house beyond. "Shall we ask them for help?"

"Worth a try..." The boy cautiously approached the front gate and vaulted over it before cupping his hands around his mouth. "Heeey! Anybody home?"

She winced at the sudden volume in his shout, but nothing stirred. Perhaps there really was no one here any more. Unnervingly, the front door lay open, and the field looked like it had been torn up by a whole stampede of boots and wagon wheels being dragged across it. She struggled with the latch on the gate, nervous about copying the boy's movements in leaping over it. That would be quite undignified after all. But…what was she to do? The gate wasn't budging.

The boy noticed her trying to open it and started back.

"Hang on a sec..."

She didn't wait for him. Another sweep of the area confirmed that they were alone...so, might as well! She hiked up her skirt a little bit and stuck one of her sandals into the gap in the fence. Then climbed one foot after the other up to the top, wobbled to steady herself and jumped off with a satisfying thump.

Her guards would _never_ have let her do something like that.

The boy backed up a few steps, eying her in surprise. "Oh! I guess you really aren't like most girls."

He shrugged before turning back towards the house, but she wasn't going to let a comment like that slide. Not at all. For the first time that evening, her fear retreated. She put her hands on her hips and frowned, feeling more insulted than anything else. She had let the dress thing go, but not this time.

"E-excuse me? Are you mocking me?"

"N-no...?" He seemed confused again by the question, as if he couldn't comprehend why she would take offense to such a thing. "At least, I don't think so. I don't know how to write."

"You don't know how to-what are you talking about?" She stared at him, bemused, not sure what to make of his answer.

"I mean, I like marking some rocks with drawings sometimes...is that the same thing?"

For the second time, her jaw was left hanging. Was he trying to dodge her question, or act stupidly on purpose? She hadn't said _marking_. Was it possible he...didn't know the word?

"I said _mocking_."

Yep, he looked clueless. And this time that puppy dog face wasn't going to work on her.

"It means...it means you were teasing me and it was rude!"

He still looked baffled. "Did you want tea...?"

Before she could splutter out her response, he suddenly brightened, and raced towards the door of the farmhouse.

"I'll go see if I can find some!"

Watching him run towards the cottage, she concluded simply that his vocabulary must be laughably bad. Did he not go to school? Did he not have a tutor or lessons either?

To her horror, he charged right through the open door without a cursory bow or greeting to anyone inside, either. She rushed to catch up with him, uttering apologies as she entered the house after him. But as soon as she entered, her apologies stuttered to a halt.

While the outside of the home seemed quiet, the inside told a different story. Furniture was smashed and broken, with barely anything salvageable. It was a complete mess.

By the time she found where he was among the disaster, the boy was already rifling through the house, pulling open cabinets that were still intact enough to use. He wasn't being careful with the contents and had already pulled open several jars to presumably smell them, leaving the rejects without lids, strewn about his feet. When he finally did find one he liked, he stuffed his fingers inside and took a huge bite, wolfing the entire thing down before she could even see what it was. It was yellow and a bit slimy, like it was maybe some canned fruit.

As she saw the juice from the fruit dripping down onto his shirt, she was glad that he had at least had the care to remove her mother's cloak before digging in. The only problem was he had draped it across a chair, likely soaking the upholstery.

Mouth full, he turned and offered the jar, still half full and vaguely smelling sweet over towards her but she backed away in disgust. What was he _doing_? This kind of behavior was absolutely atrocious. She maybe understood now why he was wearing such ratty clothes—they certainly became his manners.

He shrugged and placed the jar on the floor carefully. Then, giving up on the rest of the jars, went over to a tall cabinet and started yanking the drawers open, smearing sticky processed peach slime over the knobs.

Finally, she couldn't stand it any more and raised her voice. "What are you _doing_!?"

"Lucky! Look what I found!" He pulled some light purple fabric out from the drawer and turned, proudly displaying a dress out to her.

She stared at it and crossed her arms. "It's a dress."

For some reason he kept holding it out to her, as if it was something special. A bit cross at already having entered someones home uninvited, she stamped her foot a bit impatiently on the floor.

"Put it back already!"

He tipped his head back to her in confusion. "What's wrong with it? I thought it looked nice..."

"I don't want it!"

He lowered the dress down to his lap and frowned. "I'm confused...earlier you seemed really upset when I mentioned your clothes, so I thought you might want something else-"

Was he really that dense? She snatched the fabric out of his hands, smoothed it out and gently folded it back up to put back into the drawer.

"It's not yours! What are you, a thief?"

Pouting, he stuck out his lower lip and grumbled. "I'm just trying to help. Did you _want_ to stay in wet clothes?"

She glanced down at her sopping wet dress and scrunched up her face. "No, but...I'm not a thief. And you shouldn't be one either!"

For the first time she noticed something sad pass behind his shining blue eyes, like a cloud covering up the sun. "I don't wanna be a thief..."

This boy made no sense at all.

"Then don't! Look at the mess you've made!"

Lowering his eyes to the floor, he shamefully sniffled at his feet, and she only just realized he had no shoes on at all. "I'm sorry, I was hungry..."

She wanted to scold him, as was so often done to her when she was too childish, but she realized perhaps it would have much less impact than when an adult like her father said it. She hadn't quite mastered chiding, it seemed, despite all the practice on her stuffed unicorn at their tea parties.

"We should wait for the owners of the house to return, then ask them for help. It's the right thing to do."

Why was he looking like he didn't believe her? Did townspeople not follow any etiquette at all? At least he seemed repentant for making a mess with the jars. He had been tearing at them like an animal, and it was incredibly improper. She felt slightly hungry herself, but it wasn't even time for breakfast yet so she ignored the slight rumbling in her stomach.

"How are you so hungry? Did you not eat supper?"

He glanced once more, longingly, at the half-full jar of peaches. "No..."

She suddenly felt a bit guilty, eying his scrawny arms again. No wonder he was hungry, if he hadn't had anything to eat for dinner.

"W-well, um...that still doesn't excuse acting that way! Almost as if you haven't eaten for days..."

He didn't say anything, just returned his gaze back down to his dirt-smudged feet, as if he was too embarrassed to really say anything else. And she felt a lot more guilty now. She couldn't even understand how it was possible to go that long without food.

"D-didn't your parents cook you anything?"

Looking much more uncomfortable now, he shook his head. "I don't have any parents."

She understood what he said, but she didn't understand at all. "No...parents?"

"Yep, just me! Oh, and my animal friends! I know a lot of pigeons and spiders."

She had been feeling so hopeless being on her own, but he had probably been all alone for much longer than that. Maybe being alone was all he really knew. He certainly seemed so bright and cheerful despite it all. She immediately sympathized with the thin boy in the just as thin clothing. If all that he had said was true, she felt quite sorry about giving him such a hassle about the single jar of peaches.

"I'm sorry..."

Inexplicably smiling, he perked up and thumped himself in the chest. "Don't worry! I might not remember them but they are still here. See?"

He shrugged off a small satchel strapped to his back and flipped open the biggest flap. It was filled with random...junk was far too harsh a word. Among them she spotted a feather, some sparkling rocks, a pine cone, a stick, and a small glass bottle filled with some sea shells. They were his strange assorted treasures. With the way he very gently sorted through them, he was very fond of every single one. From the depths of his little bag, he withdrew a very dirty stuffed animal that looked like a purple dragon.

"This is Figment! I think my parents gave him to me. I don't really remember, but it makes me feel like they are still with me somehow. He protects me, too!"

Kairi smiled down at the tiny little purple dragon, with a silly smile on its face, tongue ajar. She gave it a soft pat on the head. "Hello, Figment. It's nice to meet you."

She was honestly a bit shocked that he had a stuffed animal himself. She liked animals and Namine liked collecting dolls, but she had always thought boys hated that sort of thing. It was a nice surprise. Maybe boys weren't so different after all.

"You're the only boy I've met that has a stuffed animal."

His face reddened a bit and he abruptly looked back down at his toes. "O-oh."

She realized all at once maybe she should have clarified he was the only boy she had ever met at all, but he looked so uncomfortable now she decided to just change the subject.

"Um...well maybe if we tell the people who live here how hungry you are they won't be so mad about the food."

"Y-yeah, maybe..." He smiled again, but she could tell there was something more he wasn't telling her.

Honestly she had no idea how she was going to explain anything to the farmer when he returned home, but she hoped that if they knew the truth they would understand. And apart from having food, at least the home was offering some sort of shelter. It was still a bit cold, though.

The boy cheerily replaced the dragon on top of his pack of goodies and glanced around the kitchen.

"You still wanted tea though, right? I'll see if I can make a fire!"

She didn't really have a chance to correct him about the tea issue, she was far more concerned about the second half of what he had just said. "F-fire…?"

He went over to the nearby hearth and started poking around, shifting some logs and twigs underneath a large cauldron still hanging over it. It was much more primitive than the stoves in the castle that was for sure. She _definitely_ wasn't allowed to touch those. Or have _anything_ to do with fire. She shifted her weight back and forth anxiously, watching him strike at some rock with another rock. Sparks shot out of it and she gasped, wanting to rush forward to stop him but not wanting to draw closer to the dangerous hearth.

The sparks landed on the dry wood and grass under the pot and caught easily. Soon, a flickering orange light burst out of the wood, grabbing at the twigs and bark. He reached in to adjust some of the wood and yelped a bit at the heat, sucking on his finger for a moment before smiling broadly at his creation.

"I did it!" Curious, he stood up on his tip-toes and shifted back the lid of the cauldron to peek inside, his smile only growing. "Hey, they left some stew in here too!"

Suddenly realizing something, he winced slightly and turned back to look at her. "But...I guess we gotta wait until they get back?"

Kairi had no idea what it would be like to miss one meal, let alone more than one. But she understood the hunger in his eyes and could only imagine it was way stronger than anything she had ever felt after her lessons had delayed lunch a few times.

Besides, it was incredibly hard to say no to eyes like that.

"Maybe a little wouldn't hurt…"

He cheered and searched for a bowl, but, finding none, just used the giant serving ladle to slurp out of, dripping broth all over his already soiled shirt. This time she decided not to comment, and instead plunked herself down on the wooden floor to watch him munching away happily at the stew.

"This is really good! Did you wanna try some?"

Offering the ladle over she wrinkled her nose up at it. She might be willing to overlook him getting something to eat, but she certainly wasn't going to steal anything herself. "No, thank you. I'll just eat when I get home."

"Oh..." He withdrew the ladle and frowned for a moment before recovering and smiling again. "Then let's try to get you home soon. Oh, right! Tea!"

Springing to his feet, almost with renewed energy, he began shuffling through the cabinets again, very gently pulling out some cups and setting them on the floor before searching around for something. Spotting a small step-stool, he retrieved it from the corner and plopped it down in front of the sink. Climbing up while balancing the cups in his hands, he filled them both up with water before returning back down to the fire and setting them close to the heat.

Not yet finished, he then scurried over back to the cabinet of jars and fished around for something. It wasn't long before his pace slowed and he squished his face up, perplexed, as he lifted the glass jars one by one in front of his face, scrutinizing them closely.

"Uh...do you know what tea looks like?"

She still wasn't sure why he insisted on making her tea. Probably another misunderstanding. "It's, um...just the water is fine."

"Huh? But you said-"

Again, maybe it wasn't worth arguing about. Rather than explain, she went over to the jars to help him find something that could possibly be tea leaves. There were plenty of spices, and luckily among them there was one jar of dried jasmine leaves. They didn't have a tea pot, or it was hidden somewhere up too high for them to reach, so they had no choice but to drop them straight into the cups and wait.

Quietly, they both sat down by the fire and watched the water slowly heat up. Clutching her knees, she watched the fire crackle, finally feeling her shivering subside.

"Um...I don't think I ever said thank you properly. For before."

"Hmm? Oh...don't worry about it. Like I said, I made a promise so it's fine. And you let me borrow your coat so we're even."

Another silence passed between them. The boy reached over and tested the temperature of the water with his finger, but it didn't seem ready. He shrugged casually and sat back down, bouncing his knees impatiently. His whole demeanor wasn't something she expected from someone who had nearly drowned, or was in a kingdom being surrounded by some unknown evil.

"Aren't you...scared? Something out there is turning everyone into monsters. I heard someone say they were all infected. Maybe we could get infected, too."

"What's that? In-fect-ed?"

"Um...like being sick, I think." Just thinking about everything made her stomach clench and she squished her eyes shut. "Maybe all that evil stuff is already inside of me..."

She suddenly felt a hand pressing against her forehead and her eyes popped open in surprise. He tipped his head side to side as if considering her temperature.

"You don't _feel_ sick. And you seem like you're a good person so far!" He withdrew his hand with a smile. "I think you're safe."

"T-thank you..."

It was still so hard to get used to other people touching her, let alone someone her own age. Every now and again some grown-ups would have to put on gloves to help her with things, like when she went to the doctor. But this was very different.

Eventually the tea was hot enough to drink, and she helped pluck the leaves out. He choked his down in one gulp, but it was obvious from his face he wasn't a fan of the flavor. Jasmine wasn't her favorite either, but it was nice to have something warm. She sipped at it, glancing up at the window nearby, spotting a few star still visible in the sky. And quite suddenly, she still started to feel extremely drowsy. She drooped, her head accidentally smacking the boy in the shoulder.

Apologizing sheepishly, she shuffled a bit away from him so it wouldn't happen again. Thankfully he didn't seem mad, he just laughed again.

"Tired? I am. Let's go to sleep here."

It was a good suggestion, but the cottage itself was fairly small, maybe built for one. The lone bed she could see was over in the corner, half smashed, mattress ripped apart. And, even if it was still intact, there was still only one room.

"But, um...where will I go?"

He glanced around the room and shrugged, pointing close to the hearth. "Here? Where else?"

Did he really not see the problem with that? Starting to feel frustrated again, she petulantly puffed out her cheeks. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"It's absolutely unthinkable! I can't possibly spend the night in the same room as you. Let alone a boy whose name I don't even know!" She plunked her tea cup down to the floor and stood up, crossing her arms with a humph. Every time she started to feel comfortable with this one he always did something to make her cross with him again.

"Sora."

"...What?"

"My name. So you can go to sleep now, right?"

There was just something about his casual manner that she wasn't sure what to make of. On the one hand it was intriguing, on the other it was so baffling it was infuriating.

"No, I can't! Don't you know who I am?"

"Uh..." He shrugged, his face completely blank.

"I am Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla. How could you not know!?"

"Keels...ate a...lushy?"

He was _definitely_ mocking her this time.

" _Kairielis. Aeterna. Luxilla._ " She repeated it back slowly, accenting each of her names, but he still looked baffled.

"Kellis...Karis..." Growing frustrated at his own inability to sound it out, he ruffled at his hair and groaned. "What kind of a name is that, anyway? It's _way_ too fancy!"

"It is not! It's not _my_ fault you can't say it."

"Aw come on, isn't there anything easier I can call you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, just forget it. The point is, I can't possibly fall asleep near anyone else. _Especially_ not a boy."

This time it was him who pulled the petulant face, puffing out his lower lip. "What's wrong with boys?"

He was missing the point entirely. Arguing with him was like trying to pin her shadow to the wall.

"I just _can't_ , okay? It's incredibly improper."

"Im...pepper?"

"It means bad."

"I'm not bad!" At first he seemed a bit offended at the accusation, but she saw his eyes briefly glance back at the still open cabinet and he sagged. "I mean...I know that I maybe take some stuff now and again but I-I don't think I'm a b-bad person...am I?"

The sorrowful look in his eyes was heartbreaking and her anger melted. "N-no, it's not _you_ , I just...it's the rules."

"Rules…?"

"It's...something important...to me." She really wasn't sure how to explain what a rule was, but he seemed to understand the word important, at least, and was nodding along now.

"I'm not sure I understand, but...if it's important to you I'll try to do my best." He glanced once more about the room and instantly burst into a wide grin. "Oh! I got an idea!"

Again scurrying over, he untangled some sheets from the collapsed bed and dragged them over along with some of the broken pieces of wood. He began assembling something together, dragging the sheet over two towers to make a small enclosed cave. When he was finished, he took a step back and gestured to it grandly.

"Ta-da!"

She stared. "What is it?"

The cloth was stretched across two lumpy stacks, like a bridge, leaving a gap of space beneath.

"Uh, well...it's a tent! See?" He gleefully dropped down to his hands and knees and crawled under the sloppily constructed mess.

"A...tent?"

"If you stay in here I promise I won't go inside. And when I promise something I keep it!"

"You said that before..."

"Oh...I did? Well that means it's doubly true!" He crawled back out and offered her one of the two pillows he had fetched from the bed. "So, is staying in the tent okay?"

Sleepiness was taking over her exhausted body and she knew there really wasn't much choice. Her mother had told her to survive. And...so many rules were just being shattered in front of her, what was one more? Maybe it would be good enough to be in a separate little tent like this. It wasn't exactly a separate room, but it was as good as she was going to get for now.

She accepted the pillow and scuttled under the draped sheet. It was surprisingly warm inside, perhaps being so close to the fire. Setting the pillow down on the hard floor, she tried to find a comfortable spot.

And for the first time in a while she was technically alone in her own space. It was what she had asked for, after all, but she was far from happy. Sora was such a strange boy. He couldn't even say her name properly. He didn't seem particularly educated, and was perfectly content just doing his own thing, it seemed. But he was the only little shred of humanity she had in this dark night. And there was something...hopeful about him. Cheerful. She couldn't imagine being alone like he had been for her whole life.

Then again...maybe she had been alone in her own way. No one really was allowed to get close to her. She never knew anyone's name. But at least she always had Namine to play with if she got too lonely. And she knew so many people cared for her. Her mother, her father, uncle, and auntie, all the nice guards and cleaning ladies...

She hoped they were doing well.

Being alone was terrible. Scary.

She hated it.

If she was with him she wasn't alone any more.

Tears filled up her eyes again and she clutched at her pillow. It didn't help much. She tried to cry silently, but knew her sniffling probably gave her away. A rustle in the blanket caught her attention and she saw a small little purple dragon head peeking up at her from under the sheet.

"H-hi, Figment."

"Did you wanna borrow him tonight? It's okay if you do. I think...he likes you. He likes people who are strong and kind."

"I'm not..." She wiped at her heavily streaming nose. "I'm nothing like that at all."

"That's not what your mom told me! And I don't think she was a liar." He wobbled the dragon back and forth a few times like it was dancing. "He will protect your dreams! Rawr, rawr! Oh..."

The dragon retreated slightly from the gap, but she could still see his snout. "Uh...he's a boy too. Is that against the rule?"

Giggling, but with fresh tears pouring down her face, she snatched the stuffed creature up immediately.

"Dragons don't count."

It didn't heal the strange emptiness inside of her, but it helped. After cuddling with it for a moment, she slid closer towards the edge of the tent and slipped her own tiny hand underneath the sheet.

"S-Sora? Are you...going to stay right here too?"

"Yeah."

He held her hand and she trembled, clutching his little dragon close. It was something so precious to him and he had let her borrow it. The dragon was clearly well loved, and she patted it gently on the head and sighed, wiping away the rest of her tears. They were both practically strangers, and he had no reason to treat her so kindly, but everything about him was unexpected and warm. And despite all the rules telling her not to think that way, she was very glad he was there.

"...Kairi."

"What's that?"

"That's my name."

He hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Kairi, huh…why didn't you just say so earlier! I can definitely remember that."

She flicked at one of Figment's ears. "Um...and do remember anything else that my mom told you?"

"Not...much else..."

"Oh..."

Even just from the tone of her voice, he must have caught on to her sorrow, and he hastily interjected again.

"B-but, uh I'd really like to hear about her!"

She hesitated, but only slightly. He sounded so eager and encouraging it was hard to turn down. Her voice was trembling, and interrupted by sniffles and hiccoughs, but she did her best to tell him everything. Everything she could remember.

And he listened closely, laughing along with her, asking her questions and keeping her talking until she couldn't even remember exactly when she fell asleep. She knew only that eventually she slipped into a calm, happy dream feeling like she was floating away on a cloud.

* * *

When dawn came, she stirred. She could hear light snoring outside the little makeshift tent and realized that Sora must still be asleep. His hand was still loosely clinging to hers and she felt bad moving it, so she lay there in the quiet for some time, just listening to his breathing.

And, when she felt brave enough, used her one free hand to pull up the sheet a bit and peek out at him. His hair, now dry, was sticking up every which way. She wasn't sure what he was dreaming about, but it must have been something good. He was smiling quite a bit. It was a bit mysterious, to see someone else sleep and she stared at him in awe. He was a very strange boy…

But she was still very glad he was with her.

When this was all over she would be sure to tell her guards to let him come into the castle to play with her and Namine. Or maybe...he could just come live there. If he didn't have parents, maybe that meant he didn't have anywhere else. He could finally get lessons and get food every day! Yes, he should come live with her!

Living…

She was still alive.

But she had no idea how many other people had survived the night, while she sat curled up by a fire doing nothing. She had caused this mess, and just thinking about it made something clench tight in her stomach again.

She had to set things right.

Gently pulling her hand out of his, she did her best to free herself without waking him. He stirred and mumbled, flexing his hand as he searched for hers again. She stuck Figment's little tail in his hand and he grabbed it greedily with a smile before returning, mumbling, to his happy dreams.

Now, she just had to look around the garden out front she had seen yesterday. Surely there was something she could use…

Rooting around amid the plants in the garden blessed her with quite a few medicinal herbs that she recognized from her coloring books. She had amassed a nice stack before she heard a thunk from inside the house and a panicked scrabbling.

The door flew open and Sora came rushing out the door, tripping on the entryway and rolling head over heels before coming to a dusty flop in the dirt.

"Good morning, Sora."

She leaned over him and he immediately breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Kairi!" He sat up, quickly checking around the rest of the farm. "What are you doing out here alone, it could've been really dangerous!"

She lifted up her handful of herbs for him to see. "I picked some medicine."

"Medicine?" His eyes opened up wide. "Are you a doctor? That's amazing!"

"N-not exactly, but...maybe I can help a little. I want to go find who else is out there and help them."

He smiled up at her and jumped up to his feet, dusting off his tattered clothes. "Sounds good to me."

Leaning in closer to her hands to look at the leaves for a moment, he then pulled back and itched at the back of his head. "But, uh...I don't really know much about plants and things. Is that okay?"

"Mm. Can we put them in your rucksack? I don't have any pockets."

"What is that? A bag for rocks?"

She giggled again, almost glad he had those little misunderstandings. "I mean your little pack from yesterday."

"Oh, right! No problem, I'll take good care of them!" He started back to grab his pack out of the house.

And there really was hope in his eyes.

She had already decided. Today, going forward, she was going to start over. Her mother had told her as much. Use her kindness to change the world. She might not have the light to bless the water like the priests always wanted her to, but she was still going to make herself useful. She didn't have a lot of skills, or knowledge, or really...anything, but she was going to try.

Maybe...just maybe that was good enough.

* * *

 **A/N: Just wanted to say thank you again for reading so far! Also wanted to apologize the updates are taking a bit longer than before, but these last few chapters have been a bit more difficult to pull together. I'm still working away at it though! Thanks for your patience.**

 **A little off topic, but I am a tiny bit curious how many people have been able to spot all the little references I've peppered in the story so far. (Some are more obvious than others, of course). I don't think I will be able to reference every single final fantasy, but I've been trying to include what makes sense. (^.~)v**

 **Let me know if there's someone you are dying for me to include and I'll see what I can do. No promises, obviously-they would have to fit in with the rest of what I have planned. But I'll do my best!**


	16. Ch 16: Darkfall (part 2)

What would a world devoid of hope look like? Perhaps much like the town in front of her.

Streets and former homes lay abandoned, covered in ash, silent and stagnant. It was as if time was slumbering, waiting for the chance to tick on. For if nothing was living, were the days even passing by? Or had it all just stopped altogether? She couldn't keep track any more.

Staring at the deserted ruins of the neighborhood, Kairi wasn't sure about anything. There were no more echoing screams, but that could either mean everyone was hiding, or...that there was no one left to cry out.

The two of them searched for any small signs of life. Sometimes they would run into stray animals. Neither of them hesitated to try and befriend the creatures, offering scraps and small snacks, but eventually the animals would scurry off into the night, leaving them alone again. Otherwise, far too often they would meet more people who had gotten sick with the darkness and had to fight their way out of their grasp. Sora, armed only with a wooden stick and Kairi with nothing more than a tiny little sewing kit with some thankfully sharp needles was all they had to defend themselves with.

It felt like they were being almost endlessly pursued by three men in particular. The knight with the pointed beard, the portly knight with the wheezing cough, and a third comrade, long and lanky. A dark trio. Or, the 'Sticky Gang' as Sora liked to mockingly call them because of their constantly dripping dark residue. No matter how far they fled, those three seemed to inevitably catch up to taunt her. Every now and again they would also briefly catch a glimpse of a witch in dark purple robes and pointed horn hat that she vaguely remembered being the one who had tried to drown them with that magical tidal wave.

Hiding from her was the scariest. After every escape Kairi would lay awake at night, trembling at mysterious sounds in the darkness, struggling to hold back her tears. Sora always held her hand tightly through it all, and lent her Figment when it got too scary.

As they wandered the land he would tell her some silly stories, or teach her games like how to skip stones across the pond, or make a whistle out of shoots of grass. In exchange, she taught him some of the constellations they could see shining down on them in the clear night sky, and the names of the plants and flowers they passed on the trails through the woods.

He had a very free life that she was almost jealous of. Part of her was so glad to at least experience a small part of it. More than ever she hoped Sora could stay with her as long as possible. Somehow when he was next to her, staring out into the abyss of those ruins, she couldn't feel completely hopeless.

Before she could say a word, he reached over and gave her hand a tiny little squeeze.

"Don't worry, we'll find someone! There's gotta be someone else here, there's just gotta!"

Yet again in the face of the darkness and nothingness, he smiled so brightly it was impossible not to return it.

Giggling, she bopped him on the head and got a good head start down the street before he finally realized she was trying to race him. Shouting in alarm at being deceived, he chased after her, feet pounding across the crunchy gravel road.

"No fair!"

When he finally caught up, he gave her his own tag on the side of the arm and cheered. "Got ya, you cheater!"

Rather than pouting at losing their little foot race, she found herself happier than ever. The fact that he was always right behind her felt comforting, and she gave him a huge smile just to prove it.

The two children, somehow keeping each other company through the darkness, raced off again. Both hoping beyond hope that they would find someone else drifting through that timeless place.

* * *

Sora's teeth sank sharply into the corrupted man's arm. Immediately shrieking in pain, he struggled to shake the boy off of him but Sora only bit down harder in response.

"Brat!" The man grunted and finally managed to rip him away. "This is why I hate kids. Never listen to what's best for them. Always sticking their noses in where they don't belong."

Sora's legs windmilled uselessly in the air as he continued to resist, the back of his tunic still clenched tightly in the man's fist. The already raggedy shirt made some threatening ripping sounds, as if it was ready to split apart completely from the strain. The man refused to let go, and wrinkled his nose to sneer down at Sora's efforts.

"Maybe you should mind your own business and not pick fights you can't handle, boy."

Kicking out, Sora completely ignored the tearing sounds coming from his shirt. "Says you! You're the one going around picking on us first!"

Rather than answer him, the man hurled Sora back down to the floor and stamped down on his back before he could scramble up to his feet. The man seemed to find his coughing amusing in a sickening way.

"I was only here for the girl, not you." He glanced smugly over at the cowering little girl in the pale yellow dress still sobbing in the corner and an equally trembling Kairi standing protectively over her.

Sora wheezed for air despite being stuck under the man's boot, his hands pawing and tugging at the laces. "That only...makes you...more of a bully! You bully!"

"And you're just some wimpy brat who fights like a rabid squirrel. This is no place for you."

It was true that perhaps there was no reason for either Sora or Kairi to be there. They didn't even know the name of that young girl in the yellow dress. But there was no way either of them could have heard her cries and not intervened. No good person could have walked away from such a thing. It was also incomprehensible that someone could be monstrous enough to pick on a young child sobbing for her parents in the ruins of her family home and stand there laughing and bragging about it. The dripping dark liquid falling from the man's body made it clear he had already been infected, and likely the only reason why he would consider something so awful.

He leered towards the girls again. "Why hasn't the darkness taken you yet, I wonder? Maybe I should do the honors."

Refusing to watch Sora face any more abuse from such a monster, Kairi charged at the leg trapping her friend to the floor, pricking it sharply with her sewing needle. The sudden shock of pain caused the man to stumble away, finally freeing Sora who took advantage of his freedom to hurl a half broken plate from the ground straight at the man's face.

Without waiting to see the aftermath, Sora rushed over towards the door of the house and yanked it open, gesturing towards the young girl in the corner.

"Hurry!"

Kairi agreed with him, but saw that the girl in the yellow dress was barely budging, her eyes glazed over in fear, only shaking her head back and forth and whispering her refusals in constant repetition. She rushed over and wrapped up the girl's hand gently in her own, tugging her to her feet.

"Don't be scared. We'll be right here with you."

The man grunted as he rose from the floor, holding a hand up to his forehead. His fingers stained red as they tried to stem the blood now streaming from the fresh cut. He took one staggering step towards the girls and promptly collapsed down to the floor with a yowl.

Kairi had no idea why he fell, but knew it was a chance she couldn't afford to lose. With Sora still urging them to hurry, she rushed the small girl out the door, keeping her hand clenched tightly.

The three of them didn't stop running until they had made it out of the neighborhood, safely into the nearby forest. Perhaps they could have run further, but the girl in yellow was now so racked with sobs she couldn't take another step.

Kairi tried to give her some comforting pats on the head, knowing it always made her happy when her mother brushed her hair, but she wasn't sure if it was helping. The girl only wrapped her arms even tighter, pinning Kairi's arms to her sides.

Still not trusting they weren't being followed, Sora jumped up on a nearby stump and surveyed the forest around them.

All had fallen quiet.

Not even the birds sang any more, leaving a poignant lingering silence like a thick blanket was covering the forest and dousing the sound. No rustling leaves hinted at any approaching footsteps.

Perhaps they really had made it.

"Phew! Close one." Sora breathed out in relief and gave a tiny victory hop on the stump, nearly losing his balance in the process.

Kairi glanced over in the same direction as him to confirm his report and truly didn't see any scary man lumbering over the horizon. So that was good, at least. Even if the man had decided to follow them, perhaps he may have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

"I wonder why he tripped back there..."

Suddenly looking _very_ proud of himself, Sora rubbed the space under his nose with a little chuckle. "Easy! I tied his boots together."

He shook his fist up into the air and shouted out back towards the town. "Take that, you bully!"

His voice echoed and bounced a few times through the trees, but only silence greeted it.

She realized that must have been what he was doing when she saw him fiddling with the man's boot laces earlier. Even though she knew him much better by now, she still found him constantly taking her by surprise. She wouldn't exactly label Sora as _clever_ , but he had his moments.

Jumping back down from the stump, he leaned a bit closer in towards the girl who was still wailing into Kairi's dress. Kairi tried to give her another comforting hug back but it was difficult with her arms still trapped.

"What's your name?"

No answer, only tears.

Not bothered in the slightest by her hesitance to speak, he tried again. "I'm Sora and this is Kairi. She's really _really_ nice so you don't gotta be scared any more."

The girl wiped at her watery eyes, turning them up towards him. "I'm S-selphie..."

Kairi smiled down at her as kindly as she could. There was something in that horrified stare that Kairi understood well. She knew nothing of Selphie's past, but she was sure that this girl had seen some horrible things. That look of realization and subsequent denial was unmistakable. This girl must have lost her family, and she was now petrified of being alone.

There wasn't a large gap between their ages, but Selphie was definitely younger than them. And that gave them a responsibility to keep an eye on her; that much Kairi had already decided.

"Okay, Selphie. Let's all be friends from now on."

It looked like she was trying very hard to stop crying, but was still having some trouble, so as gently as possible Kairi tried to extract herself out from her grasp.

"I really like singing sometimes when I'm sad. My mom always said it was a way to get happy again."

Fiddling with the hem of her dress while she prodded a dirt clod with her sandal, Selphie shifted shyly to the side. "I don't...know any songs."

"I'll teach you while we find somewhere safe." Grabbing her hand and starting off down the forest path, she nodded back to Sora to follow. "It's a very special song though, so it'll be our secret between friends, okay?"

Sora skipped off eagerly after them. "Can I sing too?"

"Of course."

To the three children strolling, singing through the woods, time had finally started to move forward.

After making it further into the woods they found a clearing and took some time to rest. It was then, however, that Kairi finally noticed the jagged rip just below Sora's collar and was once again very glad that she had managed to find a good sewing kit lying around.

She fished it out of her bag and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sora, about your shirt..."

He tried to spin around to look, but wasn't able to crane his neck far enough around and wobbled. She giggled at the sight and held up her small sewing needle.

"Can I try to fix it? I'm...not very good yet, but I took some lessons!"

Sora seemed hesitant to agree, his face paling a bit. "W-what's the pointy thing for?"

"For your shirt."

She fished around through some of the spare shreds of fabric in her bag that she had been slowly gathering up as they traveled around. She felt guilty about taking it, but she also didn't like the idea of cloth blowing around in the wind unclaimed, getting stuck in the trees. They were also mostly just shreds she assumed that no one would miss. Perfect for patches, but maybe not much else. And Sora's clothes definitely were going to need patches eventually.

Kairi began holding a few up, checking if they suited him at all. She immediately rejected the floral patterns outright. He definitely wouldn't appreciate those. Maybe blue? She grabbed up the spare blue cloth and lifted it up against his sleeve. It looked...okay. Surely there was something better. After another shuffle through, she found a little half of a handkerchief and dragged it out. It had cute little red and black checkers on it, and she giggled a bit. Checkers were cute. Maybe that would do? She nodded over towards Selphie who was watching her with curious wide eyes.

"What do you think? Do you think he looks good in red?"

Selphie answered her question with a silent bob of her head.

Sora still stood awkwardly, shifting about, unable to decide if he should run as away as possible from her and her needle or not.

Jabbing a commanding finger towards a nearby little stump, she ordered him to sit.

"But..." His eyes were still wide, fixed to the pointy stick of metal.

She furrowed her brow crossly at him. Why was he being so stubborn? She was only trying to help him. "It won't hurt, so stop being a dummy and sit down."

"How is something like that not going to hurt!?" He winced and shrank back yet again, waving his arms over his head. "You got that guy earlier in the foot and he was all, _bleaaaruugh_!"

Selphie patted him on the shoulder, trembling slightly less now. "Sora? Didn't you say Kairi was really nice? She won't hurt you!"

Shocked that he was being chastised by the girl they had only just met, he flushed and sighed, staring down at his feet.

Kairi hid the needle behind her back for a moment, hoping she could push away his anxiety with a look filled with as much kindness as possible. "Exactly! I promise you won't feel a thing."

His shoulders relaxed, as her words seemed to finally pierce through his nervous defense. "Okay...I know you wouldn't break a promise."

Shuffling over towards the stump he sat down, still anxiously wincing as she fiddled with his collar. Wanting to watch what she was doing, he kept twisting around. All this was doing was making her job harder and she stopped to give him a reprimanding tap on the head.

"Don't move around so much silly, or you'll make me poke you on accident."

He apologized sheepishly and did his best to sit still. Not as easy feat for him, for sure. When he wasn't zonked out napping he was always bouncing around somehow. As an added precaution, she kept the hand not sewing resting gently on his left shoulder to keep him steady.

While she worked, Selphie stood nearby, watching carefully. Eventually, her voice gently squeaked to life. "Hey, Kairi? Is Sora your...brother?"

The question took her by surprise and she shook her head. "No, of course not. Why do you think that?"

"It's just...you two act like family."

She paused, the needle mid-stitch and considered it. Maybe it did seem that way, but it was only because the two of them had been thrust together in such a terrible situation and had grown very close in such a short time. They had wandered together across the kingdom together, camping out in any structure that seemed safe, snuggling close at night to keep warm. And despite the world falling apart around them, he never let her stop smiling. Figment also helped a lot with that. She was incredibly glad he had that little dragon.

"Sora is my very special friend. All of us are family now."

She felt Sora stiffen a little bit under her fingers and wipe hastily at his eyes. For a moment she wondered if her saying such a thing had made him upset. He glanced back over his shoulder at her, blinking a few times in shock. His expression was...the only way she could think to describe it was soft, and unexpectedly full of joy.

"Y-yeah?"

His face slowly melted into that cheery smile of his that she was starting to really look forward to seeing every day. She couldn't help but mirror it back.

"Yes. You're a very strange boy, but..."

"But…?" He tipped his head hopefully.

"But I like you anyway." She teased him, sticking her tongue out for good measure.

Selphie giggled and poked at some of the errant spikes of his messy hair jutting out in different directions, liking the way they lightly bounced under her finger. "I like you too!"

They were a tiny, impractical, hodge-podge family. And over the next few days their family only grew in number as they traveled across the destroyed neighborhoods, dodging from the dark beings that stalked the streets. All in all there were thirteen children all gathered together.

Also, as Sora liked to excitedly inform each new friend they made, they had found a secret hideout connected to the underground tunnels of the sewers. It was a small space, but it had just enough room for them all. They had even set up a small kitchen area, and scrounged for some spare bedding for the corner.

The entrance was through a small trap door hidden near a now abandoned farm on the outskirts of the town. Perhaps it used to be a storage cellar, but it was so empty it was hard to tell when it had last been used. Set into one of the basement walls was a narrow door leading further into the tunnels of the sewer system below the town streets. They didn't leave often, but now and again they ventured out to get more supplies and food.

When they decided it was necessary, they unlocked the door with the rusty key and navigated the underground labyrinth of the sewer. Scattered through the tunnels were multiple different exits up into town. It allowed them to travel unseen underground, and draw the least attention from the dark beings patrolling above.

One tunnel they had discovered some time ago, deep among the twisting passages lead to a door set into a stiff metal gate. Beyond it wasn't much, but they all decided it seemed like a safe place to hide should anything ever manage to find a way down underground. Their emergency safe place. They hoped they would never have to use it, but it seemed like the monsters were only increasing in number every day, their searches only increasing in intensity.

Kairi couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing that they were all likely searching for her. While she never said anything about it, she was sure somehow Sora had silently understood. He was always extremely protective. Whenever it was Kairi's turn to gather supplies, Sora always volunteered to go with her, never wanting to leave her side.

To all their new friends, it just seemed like Sora and Kairi were inseparable. Always had been, and always should be.

* * *

"Man...we barely have enough food as it is, and all you both found were some rocks?" Hayner pouted, crossing his arms against his chest. "Didn't you brag before you left that you two were the ultimate super team?"

"We _are_ a good team!" Sora puffed out his lower lip, snatching the satchel back from Pence, who was currently prying through it. "Kairi says that these rocks can turn into food and I believe her."

Sora's initial hastiness to jump to her defense made her actually quite happy, but what both of the boys were missing, of course, was that the contents of the pouch weren't rocks: they were seeds. She had found them tucked away in a little clay pot in an abandoned farm not too far away. Kairi wasn't sure what kind of seeds they were, or if it would even be edible, but it was at least worth a try.

It had taken her some time to get more comfortable with the idea of taking anything more than fabric squares out of the half burned homes around town, but the others had made some convincing points. While the town was in shambles, there were still some treasures to be found. Some medicine, food, bandages and matches for making the fires for starters. If they could all survive this, then they could replace what they took later and apologize for it. But for now, surviving was all that mattered.

Selphie shuffled over next to Pence and peeked into the little pouch himself, wide-eyed at the contents. "Wow...big sis, can you really do something like that? Make food out of rocks?"

"They're not rocks, they're seeds."

Pence licked his lips eagerly. "Seeds are food, right?"

This time it was Vaan who decided he wanted to join in scrutinizing the contents of the pouch.

"You're saying we can eat this?" He withdrew one and sniffed it slightly, as if trying to figure out what it would taste like by scent alone.

Sensing he was about to do something silly, Penelo rushed over and snatched the pouch back. "You can't eat it yet, dummy! It's gotta grow first!"

"I wasn't gonna!"

Penelo hurried over to return the bag back to Kairi who eagerly clutched it tight to her chest.

"Thanks, Penelo. I'll go plant them right away."

She was very much looking forward to the feeling of fresh soil on her skin. There was something calming about shifting it around, and feeling it crumble in soft chunks between her fingers. She missed the gardens at the castle, and all the pretty flowers too. Hopefully they weren't feeling too lonely now that she wasn't there to say hello to them every morning.

As she pranced happily back to the cellar door, she heard another set of steps following close behind her. She didn't have to turn around to look to know that Sora was right there.

She slowed her steps, each one deliberate and slow. "Sounds like _someone's_ following me..."

Knowing he was discovered already, he didn't even try to hide it and flounced up the last bit a distance between them. "I wanna know how you're gonna turn that into food. Can I watch?"

Did he really still think they were pebbles? There was a lot it seemed like he didn't know about the world. And yet, there was a lot that he knew she didn't. So maybe it was only fair for them to keep teaching each other one piece at a time. Feeling more encouraged then ever, she rushed forward to grab his hand and pull him along faster towards the exit, wanting to get over to the small garden around the back of the house as soon as possible.

"You can do more than watch. If you really don't know how seeds work I'm going to teach you everything."

* * *

The soil felt just as satisfying and slightly cold in her hands as she remembered, digging away at it in order to find the best place to plant the assorted seeds. Sora pawed through it himself, constantly looking in excitement back at her just to check if he was doing it correctly.

"So...we just put one of these in each hole, cover it up and then wait?"

She nodded, dropping a few into place herself and holding the rest out for Sora to try.

"We have to make sure to take care of them every day. And say nice things to them. If we do that the plants inside will wake up and pop up out of the ground to say hello."

"It's just like making new friends!" His eyes widened in wonder and he dropped one seed at a time into the beds they had dug for them. "See you, little plants! Wake up soon!"

Once the seeds were each in their own place, he helped her push the dirt over them all. Thankfully the farm also still had a watering can and well nearby with what looked and smelled like clean water that they could borrow.

Sora watched, fascinated, as she poured the seeds their first drink. "What kind of nice things do plants like to hear?"

It was a fair question, and she pondered it for a moment. "Well...back home I liked to sometimes to go out to the garden with faerie tale books."

"Huh? Your books had tails?"

She giggled again at his misunderstanding and relaxed down on the grass, watching the water seep down into the soil. "A faerie tale is a story. There are princesses and knights and magic and...even dragons like Figment, too. But maybe not as cute."

"H-he's not supposed to be cute..."

Nope, there was no way that little purple snout was anything but. "He's a stuffed animal, of course he is."

Sora didn't seem too happy with her reasoning, but couldn't seem to find a good argument to use against her and decided to just change the subject. "A-anyway...you said there were knights, right?"

"Of course! Brave and kind ones, clever and handsome ones..."

Excited, Sora grabbed up a nearby stick and swung it around like a makeshift sword. "Knights are so cool! Especially the ones with those really long capes! Wish I had one..."

Briefly, she remembered the horrible memory of the dark trio chasing after her and had to shake the image out of her head. Now wasn't the time to think about such awful things...

"I bet knights get to go on lots of adventures. And that's what I wanna do!" Sora joined her down on the grass, leaning back on his arms and tapping his feet together. "What about you? What do you wanna do?"

The question surprised her. Honestly, she hadn't really ever considered her future beyond being the person everyone had told her she was meant to be. And now that she couldn't bless the water any more, that future was down a path she could no longer follow.

"I don't know..." She could still remember her mother's words, telling her to keep doing her best, and to change the world with her kindness, but she still wasn't sure what that even meant. "Somehow I want to make this all better. But...I don't know how..."

Realizing his question had made her feel a bit melancholy again, Sora dropped back down next to her, jostling her shoulder to shake off her torrid reverie.

"It's okay if you don't know! I don't know a lot of things too."

She couldn't argue with that, and she smiled a little, remembering what he kept telling her over and over again.

"I'll just keep doing my best, right?"

"Yep!" Leaning out over the still wet dirt, he prodded it with his finger. "Hey Kairi, do you remember any of those tail stories? The plants aren't waking up yet. Maybe we need to tell them one."

"It's going to take longer than that for them to come out. Maybe a few days..."

He groaned and flopped back on the ground. "Aw, man...really?"

It was hard seeing him so disappointed and searched for something to take his mind off of it. "But I can tell you a story if you really want to hear one."

"Yeah!?"

And just like that, his face lit back up and he sat forward facing her, listening intently. She had never had an audience before, other than the plants, and she suddenly felt a little nervous. But she took a deep breath and tried to remember the words in her favorite picture book. Thankfully, she had read it over so many times it wasn't too hard.

* * *

"...and the prince, arrow drawn, was turned completely to stone by her spell. The witch laughed, thinking he would now be unable to fire his last shot to defeat her. Little did she know, she had already lost! One kiss from the princess shattered the spell, freeing him from his stone prison. His arrow flew true! The evil witch was defeated by the unstoppable force of-"

"Wait, a second, what's that?"

Sora had been a wonderful listener up until now, cheering and emoting at all the right parts, but now had suddenly interjected, looking too baffled now to let her go on without interrupting.

"What's what?"

He lifted his head up, trying to recall. "One...kits from the princess? What is that?"

"A kiss. Don't you know what that is?"

His face looked just as blankly back at her as before.

"It's..." She trailed off, realizing just how hard it was going to be to explain it. "It's what people do when they like each other a lot. They say it's supposed to be super magical too, and can help break curses and everything."

Sora hummed a little, tipping his head back and forth. "But...what _is_ it?"

"Um..." Once more, she was at a loss on exactly what to say. She remembered seeing some pictures in her books, but actually putting it to words made her realize she wasn't sure herself. "Well...its when one person touches their mouth to the other person. Like on their cheek."

Just to help explain, she reached over and tapped him on the side of the face.

He frowned and rubbed at the spot she had just prodded with her finger. "Huh? That sounds kinda weird..."

Of course he would say that.

"It's _supposed_ to be romantic. It's a way you let someone know you like them. Sometimes when you care about someone so much there aren't any words to tell them properly."

"If there isn't a word for it, can't you just make up a new word?" He innocently flicked at a blade of grass. "Just say, uh...'paopu!'"

"...Paopu?" Really? What kind of garbled nonsense word was that?

"Sure. That could mean you like someone a lot, right?" He raised his hands up over his head in victory. "Ta-da! I made a new word!"

Obviously he was missing the finer points of some things. Was it even possible to teach him something like this? When she had tried to teach him about basic greetings like bows and handshakes, he had been so baffled at the very idea of it that when she told him to take her hand and 'shake' he just started dancing. So something told her that certain nuances of culture were prone to going straight over his head.

She folded her hands in her lap, trying to look as adult and authoritative as possible. "There are some things you don't just... _say_."

He still seemed set in his way of thinking, and chewed at the side of his mouth. "Is that another one of those rules?"

Even if she didn't already know, the sharp wrinkling of his nose was enough for her to understand _exactly_ how he felt about rules and order. Everything about him was like the opposite: free and somewhat impulsive. It didn't help that he was stubborn, too.

In fact, the thing she felt most frustrated about with this boy, sometimes, was how stubborn he was when he thought something. Everyone always had said _she_ was the head-strong one, just like her mother. She had taken it as a source of pride, and didn't think anyone else could match it. She wondered what those people would say about this boy if they had met him.

Perhaps it wasn't worth trying to explain it after all.

"I think a kiss is just something you have to try before you understand it."

"Uh-huh. Have _you_ tried a kiss?"

She paused, realizing immediately what he was getting at. "No, but-"

He grinned cheekily back at her. "Then how do _you_ know?"

Getting even more worked up now at the triumphant look he was giving her, she shook a reprimanding finger in his direction. "I only haven't because I couldn't before!"

She knew it had been explicitly restricted for her to not touch anyone, let alone kiss them, but it had been so prominent and lovely sounding in all of her stories she couldn't help but wonder. She had day dreams sometimes of helping out some poor prince who had been careless enough to get himself turned into a frog of all things. And she sometimes wondered if frogs she met were secretly royalty. There was one time she had been curious enough that when she had spotted a big warty frog by the side of the koi pond, she decided to follow him. It was fat and bloated after a hearty lunch of flies and she caught it easily, but as it squirmed under her fingers it left slicks of slime all over.

The goop was certainly not something she found appealing enough to kiss. She promptly released it back into the pond, wiped her hands down on the grass and never told a soul.

She shook the memory from her mind and frowned, trying to find the most simple way to explain all the nuances of romance to the free-spirited boy covered in dirt smudges next to her.

"All you have to know is that a kiss that means you want to be together forever with someone special. That's all."

"Oh..." He sounded a bit more reflective than before, so she glanced back over at him. He was currently prodding at the ground with a little stick as if he was trying to look busy. "I don't know if I get it, but I wouldn't mind that, I think. And...you're special, so..."

Kairi brightened. There was something kind of...sweet and cute about him when he got shy like that. And she had a pretty strong feeling that buried underneath his dirty face and unkempt manners, there was something pretty special in him, too. Before he could take any of it back, and before she could second guess it herself, she leaned forward and touched her lips softly against the side of his face. He flinched and gulped, dropping the twig he was playing with, but didn't move away.

It wasn't exactly what she thought it would be like, but he was warm and his hair had tickled a little as it brushed against her sensitive skin, still unused to human contact. Her heart thumped at the forbidden nature of it all, but more out of wonder than fear. Somehow it was all oddly satisfying. And while Sora wasn't all that princely, at least he wasn't covered in slime like a frog.

Her mouth left a tiny wet smudge on his cheek and he rubbed at it, blinking back his befuddlement. After a moment when he finally managed to recover from his initial surprise, Sora smiled toothily back at her.

"That wasn't so bad..." Something clicked in his head and he jumped to his feet, excited. "Hey, kisses are magic, right? Does that mean I get some cool magic power now?"

"I'm not sure that's-" She tried to speak, but he was far too caught up in his fantasy to hear her.

"Maybe it made me super strong! You think?" He reached back for his stick and started to swing it around like a sword with renewed vigor, bobbing and weaving around the garden as he fought an invisible army. "Wait...maybe it doesn't work if I wiped it off."

Kairi shook her head firmly. "Kisses are way stronger than that! You can't just wipe away the feelings behind them."

"Well, uh...just to be safe, can I get another one?"

Embarrassed that he could say such a thing so easily, she flushed and spun away before he could get a good look at her face. "D-don't be silly."

Just as she expected, he was still missing the point entirely.

She mulled over exactly how she wanted to correct him when her eyes locked eyes on Selphie, staring back at the two of them absolutely frozen, holding open the door to the hidden cellar.

"S-Selphie!? When did you-"

Instantly realizing she had been spotted, Selphie yelped and ducked back down the stairs, letting the door clatter down behind her.

Oops. How much had she seen? A flush of heat washed over her face and this time Sora definitely noticed. He leaned over, poking her on the nose.

"You're all red. Are you okay?" Without waiting for her answer, he glanced back over at the entrance to the cellar. "Was that really Selphie? Why did she leave so fast? We cudda shown her the plants!"

Feeling snapped out of her petrified embarrassment, and without answering a single one of his questions, Kairi raced back to the secret door. Sora quickly followed.

It took a while for their eyes to adjust to the sudden dimness of the basement. So rather than seeing their friends, they were met by the sound of their twittering laughter as the gossip started making the rounds. Kairi focused intently on her shoes and sighed.

Pence was the first to pipe up, doing his best to stifle his own chuckles. "Did you two have _fuuun_?"

Baffled by everyone's reactions, and completely ignoring any possible connotations in Pence's question, Sora nodded happily.

"Yeah! She taught me all about seeds and plants. Then she told me a story and even gave me special powers."

Confused, Pence glanced briefly back at the embarassed girl behind him, trying desperately to turn invisible. "Special powers? How?"

"She kissed me. Right here!" He jabbed his own finger into his cheek and burst out into a beaming sunshine smile. "Now I'm super strong!"

Kairi nearly gasped out loud. Did he actually admit it in front of everyone? Just like that? She was starting to think maybe she had made a serious mistake.

Hayner visibly recoiled. "Ew! Selphie was telling the _truth_!?"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Stamping her foot indignantly, Selphie ignored Sora and started pawing at Hayner's arm. "I told you I wasn't lying, Hayner! I saw them!"

Gau, the wild child that he was, started dancing in a circle around the group, merrily singing amid chorts and snickers. "Sora and Kairi! Kiss-ing! Lovey, love and kiss-ing!"

Frozen, Kairi gaped at the ground, too shocked to say anything. Still clueless, Sora wasn't as speechless and immediately started to complain.

"S-so what if she did? It's because we're friends!"

Hayner gave another horrified grimace and shrank away. "That's gross! Are you saying you like a _girl_."

Pence leaned forward, eyes wide. "I think he likes her a lot."

Still not understanding the problem, Sora crossed his arms. "Of course I like her. She's cares so much about everybody and she's the best at fixing clothes and stuff."

Olette cooed, clasping her hands together and swaying side to side with a shy giggle. "If you like someone and kiss them, that means you have to get married!"

"Married?" He tipped his head, to the side, trying to decipher the meaning. "What's that? It's not bad is it?"

Vaan glanced at him skeptically. "You really don't know?"

"Didn't you have parents, Sora? A mom and a dad?" Penelo also seemed baffled at his lack of cultural awareness. "Being married is like that."

Sora frowned and shook his head. "I don't remember..."

Penelo tried again. "Well, er...then being married is like starting a family."

"Being a family is great! We are all family, aren't we?" He smiled and leaned backwards to look up into Kairi's field of vision as she continued to wait for the floor to swallow her up whole. "Kairi, does that mean we're married now?"

Both Olette and Selphie started giggling and Kairi shrank back down into her shoulders, clapping her hands to her face, deciding her her incredibly, unbelievably fascinating sandals were actually not nearly as interesting as the insides of her palms.

Before any of the girls could say more, Hayner intercepted, pulling Sora away. "Wait just a minute! Getting married is really, really bad. My dad told me that marriage is like losing your freedom. There are tons of rules and things. It's awful!"

"Huh? R-really?" Sora pulled a disgusted face, immediately shuffling backwards. He retreated so quickly he tripped and thumped to the ground, but didn't seem to care. "Rules are the worst! I changed my mind! I don't wanna any more!"

Pence couldn't stop snickering, and Gau was still insisting on singing about love, spinning in circles. Face now red from the teasing, Sora cast a hopeless look back over at Kairi. He didn't ask, but she could tell he wanted to know if he was somehow now doomed to be her future husband.

How could he be so clueless? He didn't have a single shred of romance in him at all, did he? Feeling more than a little bit upset with him over the whole thing, she did the only other thing she could do when faced with something so humiliating: deflect with anger. She huffed and stamped one foot on the ground.

"Well you don't have to worry about that, ever! _When_ I get married, it's going to be with someone princely and perfect. Not you!"

His face squished up in a mixture of both confusion and indignation. "F-fine! I didn't wanna get married anyway!"

Penelo giggled. "Now, now be careful. If you two start fighting you'll have to kiss and makeup. That's what my mom always told me."

Kisses and makeup? Kairi only knew makeup as something she had to wear on her face a couple awful times during formal events. It was really hot and sticky. The last thing she wanted to do was put on more of that stuff. And she was quite done with kisses now, too, thanks.

"I hate wearing makeup! And I'm not kissing him again, ever!"

"But I..." His face crumbling into sorrow, Sora shook his head back and forth so rapidly it looked painful. "I-I'm sorry...I don't wanna fight..."

Kairi took one look at him and relented. It was so incredibly difficult to stay upset at a face like that. He was so earnest and sweet it was almost painful. She apologized quickly herself, but despite it, he still looked a bit somber, and began glumly picking at a loose thread in his pants.

"But, um...Sora, even if we don't get married it doesn't mean I can't like you."

"R-really?" He hesitantly gave her a hopeful look and she nodded back to reassure him. This managed to instantly restore his happiness to full and he cheered.

Hayner groaned at the sound. "I dunno what you're so happy about."

"It's cuz you're jealous." Pence snickered again and did his best to escape from Hayner's tackles. The two of them raced around the room, accidentally bumping into Vaan on the way. He joined in, chasing after the both of them, dragging Penelo along with him. Sora eagerly jumped into the race himself, intercepting Hayner with a chuckle and before long the whole room slowly devolved into a giant game of tag.

Not one of them ever stopped to question if it was right to play a game in a dark time like this. None of them worried if they would make it through the dark times or not. Maybe it was because they were just children, but perhaps it was simply because they had too much hope to even consider giving up.

To anyone who braved to venture out into the burning ashes of the town, it would seem like all life had long been extinguished there. For nothing stirred in that petrified place but monsters in the shadows, and people who had succumbed to its grip. All that lingered were broken memories of the past and the ghosts that haunted them. Yet beneath the black smudges of charcoal, in the forgotten tunnels, there was still a small pocket of laughter and warmth. Of children huddled close together as their campfire licked the fringes of darkness away.

Even in the bleakest of times, there was still love hidden somewhere.

It may have only been a little under two weeks, spent like that in their own little family, but to Kairi it almost felt like she had found a new life there. It was a happiness she knew balanced on a thin edge.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before it fell.

* * *

 **A/N: Just wanted to say thanks for reading again! This chapter took a very long time to complete, and that is because I actually wrote it along with the next one. (Basically just started writing the full 'Darkfall' section until I finished it then realized it was way too long for one chapter and had to split it after the fact...)**

 **So, good news is the next chapter will be up really soon as well! Just as soon as I finish the final edits, so look forward to another update shortly. Apologies that most of the 'juicy' stuff is going to be saved for that one, so this chapter is a bit of an odd little goose.**

 **Take care for now!**

 **-A. Moth**


	17. Ch 17: Darkfall (part 3, the final day)

**A/N: Just a quick warning, there is some child abuse that happens here. I don't want anyone to feel too uncomfortable, so if that is something that disturbs you, please be careful.**

The beginning of the end of their happy place stumbled upon them all too soon. But unlike most harbingers, it took the form of an innocent and nameless young child.

They found him wobbling about the ruins, delirious, bleeding, wound already heavily infected. Vaan and Hayner spotted him on their supply run and did their best to support him back to the secret base. No one knew his name and he would only splutter out nonsensical gibberish when questioned. Something illusory and horrible was swirling around his head. The only thing that had made any sense was the word 'reconnect' that he would shout now and again with a commanding and harsh tone, clutching his hands at the air.

Hesitant glances passed between all the children, fear filling every corner of their quiet former safe place. They gathered together the few meager blankets and bedding materials they had found and set up as comfortable a place for the sick boy as possible, but otherwise the group felt frozen with indecision. Kairi, having at least some knowledge of medicinal herbs, reached for her small lavender colored pouch to check the contents.

Her supplies were woefully close to empty and she stared down at the meager remainders helplessly. She didn't have to say anything for the others to understand that the situation suddenly thrust upon them was already not looking good.

Penelo pulled at one of her braids nervously. "What should we do?"

Tilting the opening of the pouch towards him so he could take a look, Pence winced visibly. "Doesn't look good...do we need to get more?"

It was unfortunate, but he was probably right. To save that boy, they needed to venture above ground again and gather the right medicine. But it was already approaching dusk, and the dark beings always started to come out in droves in the evenings.

Kairi fiddled nervously with the pouch tassels, terrified. Either they waited until the morning, or they had to go out and hope the sunlight would linger long enough for them to find what they needed. Both options seemed scary. She had no idea if the injured boy could last until morning without help, but suggesting her friends go outside at the most dangerous time was also...

"Well what are we waiting for, then? Let's go already!" Hayner nodded towards the exit.

Vaan sided with him immediately. "Just tell us what we need and we'll get it. Family sticks together, yeah?"

Olette glanced back at the sick boy and tucked the blanket on top of him a little tighter around his side. "We all need to do our part."

"I wanna help, too!" Selphie interjected, reaching her hand up into the air and waving it excitedly.

They all had their minds made up, it seemed, and Kairi couldn't really in good conscience tell them _not_ to go, but she was hesitant to agree. She also worried that if she went outside, it would only draw the ire of those knights searching for her and put everyone in even more danger.

In the corner of her eye, she caught Sora giving her a worried glance before scampering over and giving her hand a little squeeze, then gestured to the boy currently groaning miserably on the stone floor under their raggedy collection of blankets.

"Kairi, why don't you stay here so he doesn't get lonely. You're a great doctor, too!"

She knew that wasn't true at all. Penelo was much better at giving medicine. Kairi was only good at identifying the types of leaves and what kind of effects they would have. But she had a feeling she knew why he was suggesting for her to stay.

He knew those dark beings were out searching for her. The other children might stand more of a chance to escape without her there.

Gau cheered in excitement and started running in circles, huffing in anticipation for another town excursion.

Maybe splitting up was the best solution for right now. All they could do was try.

Kairi nodded slowly, and picked up a stick. With the slightly more pointed end, she carefully sketched in the dirt a rough image of the plant she would need. It was known as the Esuna plant, famous for being the main ingredient in most herbal remedies. Commonly called a 'cure-all'. There wasn't much that it wasn't good for, and since she had no idea for the cause of the boy's illness, it was the first thing she considered. Esuna grew often in small patches of light, half in the shade, often sprouting tiny blue flowers. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to find.

"Make sure you come back. All of you!" She cast another frightened look back at the door to the outside world.

It was particularly difficult to keep on a brave face, waving at them as they cheered and rushed to the exit. The dread felt heavy in her stomach. The last time she had felt this sick was when she had accidentally eaten too many mashed potatoes at dinner.

"Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it!" Sora gave her one last cheerful wave before disappearing after the others.

The cellar door slammed shut, swathing her and the injured boy in nothing but a heavy blanket of darkness and silence.

It had been so long since she felt alone. It was a horrid, yet familiar feeling. For so long she had been surrounded by new friends, and now they had all disappeared, sucking the very life of that dingy basement out with them. More than anything she wanted them to come back soon.

The boy's groans snapped her back to reality and she gathered up her remaining supplies. First, she heated some water up in the heavy iron kettle they had borrowed so she could make him some hot tea and steep some herbs in it. Even though she did her best to temper the sour taste of the medicine, he refused to drink anything.

"It smells a little strange but it doesn't taste bad, I promise! It tastes like peppermint candy. Do you like peppermint?"

He groaned and turned away.

Screwing up her mouth to the side she sat back on her ankles and thought, finally voicing herself out loud.

"Everyone is working hard to help you, so I'm going to try my best too. I'm very sorry about this, but it's for your own good."

Reaching over, she pinched his nose shut until he gasped, mouth wide, for fresh air. She took that as an opportunity and kept his mouth open so she could gently pour some of her impromptu drink inside.

He squirmed a moment, then relaxed. His lips quivered, before briefly uttering a string of garbled consonants.

Again, only one word was nothing more than babble: reconnect.

But reconnect what? She had no idea. And then, just as suddenly there was silence again.

As she sat there and watched him, she felt even more helpless than before. All she wanted to do was to help _someone_ and now there was a person injured right in front of her and she was unable to really do much at all. She had no magic, she had no special powers.

She was just a girl who knew a little bit about plants, and had a heart that cared. She couldn't even join her friends on their task lest she make it more difficult for them. Sometimes she really felt like she was nothing but in the way. But surely she must have a place somewhere? And maybe she could save one person? Just one person…

Rather than think of the dire situation that her friends may be dealing with above, she decided to try and chat with the boy, to get some response other than mumbled gibberish.

"Can you tell me your name? What can I call you?"

"flahrehtoehtdlohuoy..."

That made no sense at all, and she sighed. Even if he couldn't answer her, maybe he could still hear.

"We are all family, so you don't have to worry about being alone any more."

He shivered. But even when she gave him every blanket they had down there, he still was growing colder by the minute. All she could do was keep talking to him. All she wanted was for him to not be so lonely any more. She knew what that was like, and how horrible it could feel.

She took a quick glance under the blankets at his discolored leg and winced. Maybe she could bandage it up with some cloth at least…

His leg seemed horribly painful. Gathering up the last of her herbs that weren't put in the tea, she mushed up a type of paste to put on the bandages. It was sloppy and poorly done, but her fingers were trembling and clumsy at mixing. Focusing on her task, she tried to stare at the leg as little as possible. The smell alone was making her feel queasy. She pressed on, knowing what needed to be done.

She tried to copy what the doctor had once done to her leg when she had tripped and skinned it badly on the carpet, but her version was unkempt and messy. At least it stayed put and didn't immediately unravel. Once she made the final knot, she looked the rest of his leg over to see if there were any other injuries she needed to help. Higher up, closer to his knee, her fingers suddenly brushed across something sharp under his trousers and she recoiled.

A sense of darkness and despair washed over her. Gulping, she shifted uneasily on her knees to briefly gather her courage before taking a closer look. Small dark spikes, like a sea urchin, were stabbing up through some holes in his clothing, just to the left of his kneecap. She vaguely recalled the pointed dark spore she had seen back at the temple, embedding itself into that man's shoulder. Could it possibly be the same thing?

Apologizing profusely, she attempted to shuffle up his pants leg to get a better look, but the cloth wasn't budging. Having no other choice, but knowing she needed to inspect the injury, she kept apologizing as she had to rip at the few holes already in the pants, widening them until the entire dark spiked monstrosity was fully exposed.

It was indeed the same as the other she had seen, and was buried deep in his skin. Dark purple lines were tracing their way up his blood veins. He groaned in pain at even the slightest touch of his skin around it.

How was she going to take care of this?

The boy's breath was ragged now, and she tried pressing the remainder of her medicinal plant mixture down onto his wound around the black urchin. He squirmed away again, more unintelligible shrieks bubbling out.

Tears swelled in her eyes and she gently touched her fingers to the dark spike. It needed to be removed somehow. It was causing him so much pain, and she didn't want him to get sick from it like all the other people. Maybe if she could get it out of his leg, he could get better.

But just getting close to it sent jolts of pain through her body, as if by dark magic. Wincing, she did her best to hold on. It was slippery like a worm and her hands kept sliding off. Whatever this black spike was, it was refusing to budge.

If it truly was darkness, all she could think to do was combat it with light. Not that she had her powers any more, but she decided to try and recall the same feelings inside as when she was blessing the water.

How did the lessons go, again?

She remembered what her grandmother had said, about how she needed to think of her duty. 'Close your eyes, and remember the traditions of her family and know you are the only one who can carry it on.' It was a constant echo of tradition and duty. Duty and tradition. The same two thoughts looping in her head. Her eyes were pinched shut so hard they started to hurt but she continued concentrating.

...nothing happened.

What else could she do?

"Reconnect it..."

Shocked that his voice was coming out more clearly, her eyes snapped open and she leaned up closer to his face. While it wasn't gibberish, his lips was still shaking, his words quiet under his breathing.

"Reconnect what?"

His eyes were glazed open, as if he was looking straight through her. "The heart of it all, asunder. The seed of life. Both now incomplete. One they buried in the earth where it grew and grew. The roots unseen but not gone. It's seeking endlessly for its other half. All of us in the darkness, connected to one thought. One mass."

One weak wrist reached semi limply towards her, shivering. "You have the other. The other half they buried in blood. Traitors to the world. So selfish. They wanted it for themselves. The light. All the light. They did not know the cost."

She had no idea what his words meant, but there was something sinister and frightening about them.

Spittle frothed a bit at the corner of his mouth, his eyes shaking in their sockets. "You must...reconnect. This world cannot live without it...slowly, slowly it will degrade until even nature itself stops..."

He writhed against the ground, his voice once more devolving into shrieks and moans. If this was just a fever dream, she needed to get him out of it. Kairi gripped down harder on the black spike and concentrated.

This time, she considered not on duty or tradition, but on the only thing she had left now.

Her thoughts drifted back to the fond memories with her mother, and the songs they sang near the swaying sunflower ocean. She remembered her friends and how much she dearly wanted them to be safe. She was so grateful that she had been able to meet all of them in this dark place. Especially Sora, who she knew believed in her and wasn't afraid to say it...

She wasn't sure exactly what happened next, but she felt something incredibly warm. And when her eyes opened again, the dark spike was no longer there. It was almost as if it had vanished into the air itself, disintegrated like mist under the rising sun. The nameless boy sighed in relief back onto his bed and Kairi gazed in shock down at her hands. Did she...actually...help?

She had no idea if this would fix his other cruel injury, but at least the darkness was no longer tracing its way up his body. Maybe he wouldn't get sick now.

All she had left to do was wait and see. His breathing was still slightly ragged, and the dark purple lines were still flowing up his legs in jagged lightning shaped patterns. It looked like he had fallen into a deep slumber. And for the first time since she had met him, she saw him finally seem at ease, his lips curled into the tiniest of smiles.

For what seemed like hours she sat up with him, checking on his temperature, wiping down his forehead with water and trying to give him more tea. All while she did so she talked to him and told him stories. Perhaps it would be comforting to him, or give him pleasant faerie-tale-like dreams.

She was startled when the trap door entrance swung open with a clack and everyone came pouring in. Some of them were nursing injuries, the others helping to support them. Others looked more ragged than hurt, but at all of them were smiling.

Held proudly out among them were a few sprigs of esuna. It was obvious they had all worked hard to get the herb, and she truly believed now everything would be alright.

Why wouldn't it be? She turned her relieved face up to them all. Her thanks unsaid, but still understood.

Using the new plants, both Kairi and Penelo did their best to make some rudimentary medicine for the sick boy. Or at least, as best as two children could do. She really wanted him to wake up so she could learn his name, and introduce him to all her wonderful friends to make him a part of their family. It would be such a wonderful miracle.

But some miracles simply aren't meant to be.

Even though she had pried him from the grasp of the darkness, he remained restfully sleeping, not saying a word while his body temperature continued to fall. And in the weak hours of the morning, he stirred for one last time. Gasping, he reached out towards the specks of morning light streaming down from above through the small crack in the cellar roof. It played gently across his fingers, caressing them, warming them softly as the heat faded from his own body.

She heard his voice mutter just once, hoarsely towards the sky.

"I'm not...alone..."

And somehow, he smiled a little.

* * *

They buried him in the corner of the farm, right next to the small patch of half wilted wild flowers that were a remarkably rare shade of orange. None of them knew him, so they didn't know how to mark the small grave. Instead, they just put a pretty stone at the head and scratched in, as neatly as possible, 'A Friend'.

Their safe space was somber, with no more laughter at all echoing through the room. All they could hear was the sounds of the storm picking up outside, rain drizzling down though the few cracks.

Kairi couldn't motivate herself to eat anything, and just kept staring at her shoes. Perhaps it didn't help that Selphie could only keep asking them what was going on. But no one really knew how to explain the answer. They barely understood it themselves.

Sora sat next to her, saying nothing; staying close. It helped, but she still felt nothing but an emptiness washing over her. Eventually the pain grew unbearable and, when she was sure no one was looking, slipped out through the exit to the farm above. She wanted to escape from everything.

Her failure to save even one person was bitter and crushing.

It was pouring outside now, the water felt cold and merciless. She only made it a few steps before collapsing under the half charcoal ruins of a nearby house.

There was nowhere to run to.

She plopped down in the mud, numb now to the downpour. It pattered against her skin, prickling it like she was being bitten by the water with each tap. The rain was even so intense that pebbles from the road were being launched upwards, and clattering against discarded armor squished into the mud.

Armor from more people that she couldn't help, still scattered across the landscape.

Useless. That's all she was. She had no place any more, and no matter what she tried to do, she couldn't manage to change anything.

She trembled against the cold, and the futility of everything. Her ears picked up the light squelch of footsteps behind her, and she knew someone had decided to follow. While he was trying his best to stay quiet, it was obvious who it was. Especially obvious, when he dropped himself down right next to her, his back bumping gently up against hers to support it.

He was warm, even in the rain.

She didn't deserve that.

"Why are you-"

"It's not your fault."

She didn't respond, only stared into the thick of the rain silently.

"I mean it. It's just not. You tried to help and I didn't know him or anything, but...I think he was happy that you were there for him. He was smiling...at the end. You made him feel like he wasn't alone."

Sora was far too sweet to her. Why did he always treat her with such kindness? She wasn't anything.

"I'm not good enough." Her tears mixed with the rain, dripping down her face off her nose. "E-everyone did their best. But I...there's nothing I can do to help anyone."

"Kairi..." He spun around and leaned over, his eyes focused on her, serious and sad. More sad than she had seen him before. "You helped me..."

"How could I possibly have-"

An extremely loud clap of thunder clashed across the sky and she shrieked, unintentionally leaping forwards to cling to him for cover. Once the sound died down, she embarrassingly tried to retreat back to hugging her legs, but he refused to let her go, keeping her snuggled tight under the rain.

"You are the first person who ever called me a friend. You said we were family. I never had that before, ever. You were the first person who didn't chase me away swinging something, calling me a good-for-nothing rat-kid. And...even though it was really important to you, you let me borrow your coat, too! I never got a present like that before either."

The first person who didn't chase him away? What kind of people had he been meeting before her?

She shook her head. "None of that is special, it's what any good person would-"

He cut her off firmly and finally released her from his hug. "Even if you don't believe any of that other stuff, look right here!"

Before she could question him, he spun around, showing off the stitches that she had sewn in on the back of his tunic.

She stared at her sloppy handiwork and huddled her knees closer. "The patch?"

"Yeah!"

"That...really isn't much, either. How am I supposed to help everyone by sewing things?"

A sewing needle certainly wasn't the weapon of choice for any brave fighters from her stories, nor would it really do much to push back the denizens of darkness. Unless they for some reason decided to hold a cross-stitch competition to determine the fate of the country.

He opened his mouth to argue against her, but froze, as if unsure of what exactly to say.

"Well..." He dropped back down into the mud right next to her and sighed. "I guess just...things are really sad sometimes and that's life. But there's always something good and wonderful out there that's worth fighting for. I know there are a lot of people you can still help somehow just by being you. So long as you are still willing to keep trying, I think you could do so much. I don't want you to give up now and not be able to help them."

Kairi paused and stared out at the mess of mud and death that stretched out before them. Hauntingly awful things that no child should ever have to see were all put up on display right before them both. Yet he still seemed to be clinging to something; his light in the darkness, and at this point she wasn't sure what was even left.

"Sora...where do you find hope like that? When everything is like...this?"

Somewhere in the distance, part of a house collapsed, finally beaten down enough from the fires and the storm. The thunk of the wood echoed through the dead silence of the town around them. It felt like maybe there was something in common between her and that dilapidated home.

"Hope...?" Sora glanced up at the clouds covering the sky, blocking the warmth of the sun from view. "I dunno. But I always imagined hope as like a rainbow."

Kairi breathed out slowly, remembering the last time she had seen a rainbow. She wasn't sure how long ago it had been, but she knew how exciting it had been. With her mother, the two had been playing light music in the garden and spotted it together, stretching across the field like a smile over the sky.

"I love those..."

"Uh-huh. I dunno why they only come out in the rain, but I've only ever seen them when it's all wet and yucky out. So it always makes me extra happy when I see one. I guess that means...even in all the yucky stuff there is pretty stuff too. I don't know where they come from. But sometimes when it's raining suuuper hard you can find one. It's like the sky says 'Hey, don't cry! Here's a smile!'. So...please don't cry. You can't see rainbows too good if you're crying..."

Maybe it was explained in a very childish way, but for some reason Kairi couldn't help but think he was quite profound, somehow. Simple, yet maybe not so simple at all.

He pointed out over her head towards the sky. "Maybe the sky is full of rainbows all the time! Do you wanna look for one with me? We can play a game together, okay? Let's try to spot one. If we find one rainbow we win!"

She nodded and leaned closer against him, trying to scan the gray sky for any spot of color.

"The rain is cold..." Kairi wiped away some of the hairs sticking to her forehead as they cuddled close together in the storm. "But I'm glad you're here. I never want to be alone any more. It was so awful."

"Don't worry, I'll stay with you. I promised, remember? Let's find the light that's hiding in the dark, okay? It'll be our game together. I'll make sure to keep you safe until you find whatever it is that you wanna be in the future."

"And...once I do? Will you leave?" She shivered, feeling the slightest spark of something stirring inside, like it wasn't all hopeless.

"You can't get rid of me that easy!" A sudden wide smile spread across his face and he gestured over towards a small patch of sky in the distance. "Ah! Over there!"

She traced along the path of his finger, hastily drying the tears from her eyes with a ragged section of her dress, desperate to get a clearer look. Sora cupped his hand around hers, lifting her up to her feet with him and he laughed.

"There it is! I knew there would be one!"

Overjoyed, the two of them began to smile in the rain, running around the one still standing post of the house among the crumbled ruins. Neither of them noticed the ravens cawing in the distance, warning them that three dark figures were slowly approaching from up the dirt path. The darkness still wanted to claim the light for its own.

The knights, corrupted and controlled by the darkness were not going to be shaken away easily this time.

It wasn't soon before the two of them were spotted, and their happy safe place was also washed away in the storm.

* * *

The small band of orphans darted pell-mell through the damp sewers, not caring about the slime and gunk as they tripped and staggered away from the monsters chasing them. How had those three knights, the dark trio, managed to find their secret farm? Had they followed one of them back after they had gone out searching for the medicine?

The knights began an unrelenting chase, forcing them to unlock the rusty door to the dark waterways below the town in an attempt to find a new safe haven to hide in. It was dark in the sewer, but they could at least slightly see where they were going because of the little bits of dim light streaming through from some grates above. Even with that light, no matter how many times she glanced over her shoulder, Kairi couldn't see their pursuers clearly. It was almost like nothing was following them after all. But the heavy presence of their aura, however, let her know they were still there, steadily approaching. Their taunts also still followed after the children's panicked footsteps.

Selphie slipped on a puddle and crashed to the ground next to her, her shriek echoing through the tunnel. Kairi lent her a hand, and Selphie shivered, her grimy fingers clutching at hers, leaving smudges along its back.

"S-sis..." Her fearful eyes said volumes that she couldn't, but Kairi pulled her to her feet.

"It's okay, we can make it."

They continued on together, fear gripping the entire group, their feet pattering through the puddles. Through narrow passages, over slimy bridges long forgotten, over darkened chasms of gushing water, they ran until they reached a locked gate made of thick metal bars. It was the safe place they had all found together before. If they opened the gate and locked it, no one else could follow them through.

They all ran so fast towards the gate up ahead that they nearly crashed into it. Vaan, with trembling hands, unlocked it with the rusty key that threatened to crumble into nothing but dust. One at a time, all of them managed to slip through.

Save for one.

Sora pulled away, glancing back the way they had come at some of the other branching tunnels. Judging by the sound, the men were closing in quickly.

"Guys...I think I have a plan. I'm gonna go lead them down a different tunnel."

Kairi halted, gaping at him and rushed back through to his side of the gateway. "You can't do that! You might get lost too! And what if they catch you?"

His plan was no good. No good at all. She knew there was something else that had to be done. It was her fault those three were following everyone in the first place. If anyone needed to volunteer for such a dangerous job it was her.

"Sora, I can't let you go." Her throat clenched. She wanted to be brave, but she was terrified of the passage stretching towards the darkness slowly encroaching. "T-they are only after me. Maybe I can finally stop this whole thing now. If I can at least do that, then even if..."

Horrified, he jumped between her and the passage, refusing to let her walk back down towards the enemy.

"No!" He reached out and squeezed her hand in that now familiar, comforting way. "You told me before that you still don't know what you wanna be in the future. So...you gotta still have time to figure it out!"

She shook her head bitterly, only remembering the face of that nameless boy she couldn't save. "I don't want to have a future if it means other people have to suffer because of it!"

Straining against his grip, she tried to continue on her way. He refused to let her shake him off, and instead pulled her into a tight hug.

"Kairi...you put so much pressure on yourself to _be_ something. All you have to be is yourself and stop blaming yourself for everything."

She felt a shiver of regret rushing up her spine. Her past, and the role she had been meant to fill was something she had never actually gotten around to telling him. Maybe she really should have. Her regret was palpable, and she suddenly felt as if she had betrayed him a little by not mentioning it. None of them, especially not Sora, had any idea that she was a princess. She had liked it that way, feeling like she was a normal girl. But now she wished she had more time to tell him the truth. Then maybe he would understand why she needed to go. She had been running from her responsibility, and it really was all her fault.

"You don't know who I was before all of this..."

He huffed and shook his head furiously at her. "That doesn't matter! I know who you are now. And the Kairi that I know...you are gonna help so many people some day. I'm sure of it. And no matter what kind of person you think you were supposed to be, it's okay if you can't do everything."

With a toothy grin, he jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb."That's what I decided I wanna do. I'm here to help you. All our friends want to help you too."

With a gesture, he indicated the group huddled against the rusty bars just behind her. They nodded in agreement, but their faces were cloudy with worry. Selphie sniffled, wringing her hands along the edges of her dress.

"Sora...I don't want you to go, either. We should stay together."

Hayner squeezed her shoulder and shook his head. "Nah. Sometimes a man's gotta do what he's gotta do and no one should stop him."

"That's ridiculous!" Olette clearly disagreed and crossed her arms with a glare. "This has nothing to do with being a 'man'. Or did you somehow forget your own age?"

Rather than argue back, he grumbled and nodded sternly back at Sora. "You'd better come back or I'll never forgive you."

Sora bobbed his head over to their spunky blond friend, who was unusually quiet now. "Hayner, can you guys make sure to keep Kairi safe for me?"

"Y-yeah, but..."

Happy with Hayner's answer, Sora then started pushing her backwards, trying to get her to go back through the metal gate. She dug in her heels, struggling back against him.

"Stop it! I'm the one who should go."

Sora froze, his face suddenly twisting sadly despite his attempts to hide it. "I'm...really happy I met you. I got so many fun memories, and got to do and learn about so many things I didn't even know about before."

That sweet, ever bright smile of his returned. "Remember what I said before? All I wanted was to have an adventure."

"Sor-"

And before she even saw it coming, he leaned in and squished his face awkwardly against the side of her cheek. She gasped and froze.

A tiny, clumsy kiss held so much meaning behind it. It was the only thing he could offer when it seemed his words were not enough. It was a way to say how much she meant to him. Maybe he had been listening to all that stuff after all.

Properly stunned, she didn't notice he was maneuvering her backwards now through the gate, and only realized what he was doing once it had been slammed shut in front of her then locked promptly with the key clenched in his hand.

"Wait!"

"I was used to doing whatever I wanted before I met you. No one wanted me around and sometimes I felt like I was just...there. Unwanted. But you made me feel for the first time like I had a reason. Now I get to do something brave just like the guys in your stories."

He gave her one more unflinching smile. "Thanks for everything, Kairi. I'll never forget you. And even if you don't remember me, please don't forget who you really are. You're you and not whatever anyone said you were supposed to be."

Before she could say another word he already began running away down the tunnel, the splashing echo of his footsteps slowly disappearing around the corner.

The reality of it all struck her, and she yanked at the metal bars viciously, screaming down the tunnel, not caring out much noise she was making.

"Please don't go!"

She felt the hands of her friends trying to pull her away from the door, but she struggled against them, crying out into the darkness of the sewers beyond.

"No, no, no! I can't just leave him behind! Please! Let me go!"

Her hands ripped at the bars, shedding flakes of rust from under her pinched skin. It was all she could smell now. The sour smell of it; that horrid clammy stiff metal, immovable under her hands. It was trapping her, keeping her from reaching out to him as he left her, running straight towards the destiny he had just decided for himself.

It was ice cold. Sora had taken the key with him, likely hidden it somewhere and now there was no way to open the gate again. The children would have to leave from a different path.

She could hear shouting echoing down through the tunnels and realized the knights must have seen him already. And by the sounds of it he was already in trouble.

Determination swelled inside her like the steady yet strong pull of a rising tide. For once, she wasn't just going to freeze and do nothing. She was going to do everything it took to keep him safe. There had to be another way around. She was going to save him this time, no matter what it took.

"Sis…?"

Reaching out to hold Selphie by the hands, she took a deep breath. "Selphie, I want you to stay with everyone else. I am going to go help."

Hayner, protesting, tried to pull her away from the gate. "No way, he told us to get you out of here."

She ripped her wrist out of his grip and glared at him. "If we abandon him now, he won't ever make it out of here. I can't sit around knowing that is going to happen."

Before they could protest or hold her back again, she rushed down the tunnel to search for another path.

She tried to follow the flow of the water, and she could hear Sora and the knights now shouting at each other. The sounds mixed with the yelling of her other friends trying to catch up to her frenzied run. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a small drain pipe jutting out from the wall. It was narrow, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was going to take her where she wanted to go, but the rest of the tunnel was starting to veer the opposite direction. She tilted her ear towards the opening, and could definitely hear Sora much more clearly through it. Perhaps it was the only way to get closer to him. Getting up on her tip-toes she was just able to pull herself up and squish inside the opening.

It was so tight she had to crawl through on her hands and knees, but she didn't even stop to think about how scary and claustrophobic it was inside that dim path. Slimy green water rushed across the floor, staining her dress. She gulped for fresh air, but there was none. The question of stopping wasn't even an option to her, and she slogged through the mush.

The tunnel was filled with rats, and they scurried all around her. She could hear it in her ear, their horrid gnashing teeth. She saw their haggard forms with crazed, twitching eyes. But she trudged through the slime, not caring as her clothes became irreparably soiled in the process. It felt harder and harder to breathe the further she went, but she knew it was only a trick of the mind simply because the water was so close to her mouth, pouring down the ramp in the confined space.

From up ahead she could still hear Sora, shouting at his pursuers through the walls.

"Hey, tubby! I'm surprised you can run so fast!"

"If you're trying to be a distraction, boy, it's not going to work this time. We will find her."

As she crawled, she started to hear more and more horrid things. They must have cornered him somewhere. Sora was yelping in pain as what she could only assume were kicks raining down on him.

"We know you know her location. Lead us to her, now."

"No!"

They kept questioning him over and over, but each time he refused to answer.

It sounded like another struggle, briefly, before the dull thunk of more beatings continued. Each one of Sora's pained yelps made her tremble and hurry on faster. As she crawled on, she kept feeling the large rats bump her hands out of the way.

From the entrance of the tunnel she could hear her friends trying to cajole her to come back, but she was refusing to listen. She wasn't going to leave without him. Their voices were starting to argue, unsure if she had really crawled into that small pipe, or if she had continued down the tunnel. None of them had seen exactly which way she went, or seemed particularly keen on checking the narrow pipe, so she heard their hushed whispering continue down the tunnel path further away.

Her face unexpectedly bumped up against the end of the pipe, and she realized her way through was blocked by another metal grate and a stream of water.

"No! It can't be blocked!" She gasped and pawed at it in frustration. It was going to be so hard to crawl backwards and would waste too much time. She wrapped her fingers around the grate and tugged as hard as she could, but it only roughly scraped against her fingers, scratching them. She tried to peer through the water and was fairly sure she could see a Sora colored blob beyond it, along with the dark trio of knights. The thick stream blurred everything, running the colors together into an unclear mess.

Stuffing her fingers through the square holes yet again, she pushed further and managed to divert some of the draining river away, giving her a tiny little window to peer through. But there was no way she could get past it to reach him.

He was being restrained by two of the knights, held up in the air by his arms while the third smacked blow after blow down on him, gleefully cheering as he did so.

It was horrible. She wanted to just hurl one of her sewing needles at them, but it was still in her back pouch, and the pipe was far too narrow for her to reach around behind her to grab it. Instead she felt around with her fingers until she bumped against a few pebbles at her knees. Rearing back she hurled them through the gaps of the bars. Some missed, and ricocheted back into her face.

"Stop hurting him! I'm right here!"

None of those in the room beyond even reacted to her voice. She could only assume that the sound of the water pouring over the grate had garbled her voice to be indecipherable, and had swept away any of the little pebbles that had made it through the grate. She was useless yet again.

"You're an orphan aren't you, boy? An unwanted rat child." He kicked at him so hard that Sora whimpered softly, biting at his tongue in an attempt to choke it back.

"If you tell us where she is we'll make the pain stop. We'll give you anything you want. What would you sell her out for? A hot meal or two maybe?"

Sora took a moment to steady his breathing, sniffling several times as tears poured down his face. "All I want...is for you to leave us alone! Pig head!"

The knight with the pointed beard snarled and pointed over to the corner of the room. "Go string him up over there. See how much he's willing to talk then."

Kairi twisted her neck and pressed her nose into the grate to try and see what he had been pointing to. It was what looked like stacks of some kind of fishing equipment. There were hooks, ropes, and even a metal cage or two for crabs or some other deep sea creatures. Under his orders, the tall and lanky knight grabbed a thick rope and wrapped it around Sora's body, pinning his arms underneath it.

He struggled, kicking and biting like a cornered animal but there wasn't much he could do to overpower three grown men on his own. Once he was fully bound, they looped the rope around a large fishing hook made for tuna to hoist him up into the air, dangling helplessly but not quietly between the three of them. Sora shouted more insults down at them while they watched him slowly rotate, his momentum fueled by his incessant flailing kicks.

"You're all cowards!" As he spun, he spit fire at the different knights surrounding him. " _You're_ a noodle man, _you're_ a marshmallow tub and _you're_ a hedgehog face!"

The knight, who he had insultingly dubbed noodle man, reared back and punched him hard, sending his body swinging back and forth like the pendulum on a clock.

"Well you're just a worthless child who no one ever wanted in the first place. No one ever loved you, that's why you're all alone. Rat boy."

'Marshmallow tub' grunted in excitement, punching Sora back in the other direction. "Hey, do you know the only thing an orphan is good for?"

The third knight with the beard, hedgehog face, snickered and gave Sora his own smack. "What's that?"

"Entertainment. No one is ever going to miss 'em, so who cares what you do to 'em!"

Kairi tried to scream out for them to stop again, but her voice was drowned out to nothing. She scrabbled at the rocks, searching for anything to throw.

"Stop." A cold woman's voice suddenly echoed across the room and Kairi gasped, shrinking away from the grate. It sounded familiar and filled her with dread. "We may be able to use him."

From under the blurry stream of water she could see her: the witch in the long purple dress and horned hat. She slowly approached the captured child still wriggling in the ropes and cackled slightly. Reaching forward, she wrapped her long fingers around Sora's chin and he tipped his eyes up to face her.

There was nothing weak in that stare of his. It was a furious blue, unwavering and full of a deep inner strength far beyond a normal child. Despite his tear-stained cheeks, his resolve was unquestionable. Who knew what trials he already had to overcome, having lived out on his own for as long as he could remember.

The witch hummed, almost as if impressed. "You might make a good source. There is desire in you to be strong, yes? I could give it to you. A seed inside that will bloom and give you more power than you could ever dream of. Wouldn't you want that?"

Sora blinked twice and spit directly into her face.

She recoiled in disgust and slapped him, her nails leaving a light scratch under his eye. "Know your place. Do you even know _why_ we need her?"

"Because you're stupid?"

The witch didn't dignify his insult with a response, only glanced down at her nails. "A long, long time ago, far longer than your tiny brain can even comprehend, some apprentices of mine thought they would make their own little kingdom and disrupted the very balance of the world. They stole the light. All of it. And kept it for themselves, leaving everywhere else to suffer. They call themselves royalty, but their kingdom is only built on lies. She's selfish for not returning it."

Kairi racked her brain but had no idea what this witch was even talking about. And how could anyone steal light? Besides, even if the light she was born with was stolen, she didn't have it any more.

"Kairi is not selfish!"

"No, my pathetic ignorant child. She's a _particularly_ selfish little princess."

"P-princess...?" Sora froze, letting the rope hook drift him around in a half circle before snapping back to his senses. "Shows what you know! Kairi isn't a princess!"

The witch burst into horrid laughter and Kairi felt her stomach drop. "My goodness, how manipulative! She never told you who she was!? So not only is she a thief, she is a liar as well."

Angrier now, Sora struggled against the ropes to kick out at her. "E-even if she is a princess, that doesn't matter!"

The witch clicked her tongue and sighed. "It really isn't worth explaining to you, boy."

"Good! I didn't wanna hear what an old hag like you had to say anyway!"

The witch pursed her lips and sighed again. "The darkness will keep seeking her. Your insistence on protecting her is ultimately futile. My apprentices created an imbalance, and the darkness will never rest until it is whole again. If you tell us where she is, we can end all of this. Rejoined again, both the darkness and light will return to the world in equal balance. Isn't that only fair?"

When Sora refused to say anything else, she snapped and indicated for the knights to begin the beatings once more. They gleefully went at it, the boy moaning in pain with each hit, but still refusing to speak. He kept his fierce stare locked onto the witch and she seemed to memorize it closely.

When she finally called the knights off again, she sneered down at the sagging boy, bleeding into his binds.

"Well, you fool? Change your mind?"

"M-maybe I am kinda stupid, and I dunno what you were trying to say about the darkness, the light or any of it. But Kairi didn't steal her light. It's her own, and more special than anything! She's the most special person-"

"You only say that because you don't know any better. She is nothing special: only fortuitous through birth."

Sora just roared in response, his whole body straining against the ropes. "Liar! Take that back right now!"

One of the knights whacked him again, this time with the blunt side of his sword and Sora cried out again, his little body bruised and starting to break. He couldn't even lift his chin anymore.

"Leave her...alone..."

"Just die a fool then." She nodded over towards the knights. "He's useless. Go ahead and squash him. Make sure he no longer gets in our way."

Kairi screamed everything she could out into that room, but it made no difference at all. The knights unleashed their fury, bashing him with no abandon.

Eventually, he stopped crying out.

Perhaps that took some joy out of it for those miserable villains, but they kept at it. She kept sobbing into the pouring water, tugging at the metal grate, feeling the rats scurrying around her feet. The witch was right. She wasn't special, she was useless. Sora believed in her and now it was hurting him.

The knights ripped him down off the hook and hurled his limp body into one of the metal fishing cages, slamming the door shut.

"There's another use for orphans, eh? Maybe he can go feed some rats."

Sora slumped to the side, too weak to move. But she could still see his eyes from where he lay, still as blue as the sky.

The knight with the pointed beard gave him one more mocking gloat, and pulled his equally pointed sword from its sheath.

"Time to die, boy."

He had been the source of her hope. The one thing that had helped her keep going, to keep her from falling down altogether. Clinging to one another they had braved through the land ravaged by darkness and evil.

She wanted to give up but she couldn't.

He told her what to do. She had to find a light in the very depths of the darkness and embrace it, just like spotting a rainbow among the dreary clouds of a rainstorm.

In her heart she wondered what sort of person he would grow up to be. She wanted to be there to see it. She wanted to be his friend, always. Be right by his side to repay him for opening her eyes to the freedom and love she could find if she only allowed herself to see it.

And as the sword swung towards his tired, broken body he called out to her just once before his voice faded. Time slowed as she felt the chill of the world bearing down on her. His eyes looked past her, frozen and fading. The eternally cheerful bright sparkle that had always been there was slowly melting from their center. All she could do was scream. Only desperately reach out through the stiff metal bars as he lay still against the cold stone, every fragment of his warmth and life evaporating like the remains of a soap bubble just after it bursts. Her grasping fingers were unable to grab up the traces of his spirit, and she could only watch as every last piece of him drifted away right in front of her.

So she just screamed. And wrenched against the bars, praying for the light that she knew must be there somewhere to save him before that final sword blow finished him completely.

The rats, startled and angry rustled around her, their sharp needles for teeth sank into her, drawing blood. Their feet scampering, jumping at her, their claws getting tangled and ripping at her hair. The knight with the horrid pig like voice was just standing there, laughing, fully ready to plunge his sword into an innocent child.

That awful man didn't know how important Sora was. He was…

He had taught her freedom. He was the first person other than her mother who truly wanted her to be herself. Sora was too important to her to just let go without a fight.

Kairi felt a spark of something more warm than a thousand cups of hot cocoa on a cold winter's day while snuggled under blankets by the fire. More cuddly than a pile of her beloved stuffed friends. The same comforting feeling of safety when she went on long walks with her grandmother down at the shore.

She was going to save him. She was going to save everyone.

And that was the last thing she remembered.

A warm light filled the sewers, filling her very soul with something nostalgic and kind. She heard the witch gasping out in disbelief, her words garbled as she struggled to comprehend the sudden glow. And briefly, maybe for a moment, Kairi thought she could hear her mother singing to her once more.

 _Cheer up my little rain cloud,_

 _What are you crying for?_

 _We are both together now,_

 _Within in this big downpour._

 _Even though the rain is cold,_

 _And darkness looms around,_

 _Sing out all the louder now,_

 _Echos of love in the sound._

 _Oooh, Oooh,_

 _I will sing this song for you._

 _See me dance across the sky!_

 _Full of color, flying by…_

 _Oooh, Oooh..._

 _Hidden often yet still true._

 _So remember little cloud,_

 _If all the light is gone,_

 _I am always here with you._

 _Let's make a rainbow dawn!_

* * *

"Kairi, can you hear me?"

She couldn't see anything but a dimly soft glowing light. The girl's voice was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

"Yes? What is this place…?"

"Our hearts are connected here. Just for a moment."

Her vision slowly adjusted, but it was still foggy, as if the world itself was covered in a thick layer of mist.

"You won't remember what happened after that, I imagine." The voice didn't seem to be seeking confirmation, but Kairi nodded anyway.

Softly, the unknown speaker continued. "In my memory, a strong wave of light spread across everything that day, purging the darkness and freeing everyone trapped in its thrall. Many souls had been lost over those dark two weeks, but something pure and wonderful had given us all another chance to recover."

Kairi paused, almost in disbelief at what she was hearing. "My...light? It did all that?"

"Yes. Even though no one really knew it had been you."

"The strain caused you to collapse, and it took some time for your body to be recovered and brought back to the castle." This voice was different. It sounded tired, yet full of relief. She vaguely recognized it as belonging to Ellone.

"They feared the worst had happened and that you had lost your powers permanently. Before you awoke, they forced me to perform a memory transfer. They assumed that even if you had been touched, if you no longer had the memory of it, you may still be able to perform Refraction to stop the darkness from coming back. When you woke up and your powers were not only still usable, but actually stronger than before, they assumed it had been a success. I was then kept down beneath the temple, barely alive, just in case they needed my powers another time. But they reported my death, so I could never tell a soul of what I did, lest you somehow discover the truth."

"But...why? Why hide it all from me?"

Ellone paused for a moment before giving her answer. "...They feared if your memories returned, you may no longer be able to save them."

Kairi felt lightheaded, and the mist swirled around her as she felt her dreams slowly lifting. Once more, the soft voice she had first heard returned, as gentle and kind as a floating flower blossom on the wind.

"Do you remember now, Kairi? Do you remember where your light truly comes from?"

There wasn't any question in her mind now what the answer was. Her grandmother had once told her so while they sat together under the tree relaxing in the afternoon. The true light wasn't the same thing as refraction done out of duty and tradition. Not even close.

"I do. I really should have understood sooner."

It almost felt like the owner of the soft voice was smiling at her, even though she couldn't see.

"Everything can be set right then. There are so many things I've yearned to tell you over the years. But first...perform the ritual one more time. This time knowing the truth about it all. I think you'll understand."

And Kairi immediately realized who the voice was.

"...Namine?"

But before there was an answer from the soft voice beyond the light, she felt herself drifting upwards from the sea of dreams.

She awoke in a pile of sweat, staring up at the ceiling of the nurses room, bathed in early morning light. While she had relived nearly two weeks in her mind, in the real world it seemed time had barely crawled forward.

So little time had passed, but so much had changed. So, so much.

* * *

 **A/N: And so wraps up our flashback sequence! Sorry for those of you patiently waiting to find out what will happen to Sora and Riku. Next chapter is going to be a really big one, so queue up that ominous music!**


	18. Ch 18: Kairi

The water trickled gently between her fingers and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the bright light that now shimmered down into the depths. Her powers were still there, just as vibrant and calming as before. Actually, almost more so. It sparkled with such radiance that the priests, who had been hovering behind her mumbling and shuffling around all froze, enthralled by the ritual. What should have been a common display of her ability had transformed overnight into something much more remarkable and inexplicable, capturing attention by its mere existence. She didn't really have a word to encompass what was so different about it, exactly, but for the first time she felt like she could really control each swirl of the glowing light twisting below the waves. It conformed to her thoughts, gleaming and shimmering all the more as if it was truly displaying her feelings out for all to see. Feelings of hope, and a desire to protect those she cared for even when she wasn't meant to care at all. And while the situation was still dire, Kairielis also finally felt the first exciting rippling wave of freedom coursing through her.

It was as if before, she had been only ever seeing a reflection of her emotions, stretched and twisted behind multiple panes of glass.

She lifted her hand from the water, feeling the droplets slide away with a satisfyingly warm caress and turned to give Beatrix a quick nod.

Time to go.

One of the priests broke from his stupor to clap loudly, his broom tucked in under his arm with a smile spread across his blemished and pockmarked face. "How wonderful that your ability shines so brightly today! Surely a good omen for the Light Bonding ceremony."

Just the words "Light Bonding' brought forth a mad fluttering of her heart and panic swelling in the back of her throat. But it was true: not only was she meant to be getting married today, but judging by the steadily dissipating morning fog, the time for her to get ready was soon approaching.

"We were so worried, that the fire was only-" The priest yelped as if burned by his own words and clamped his hands hard down over his mouth. One of the other priests gave him a hard glare.

She raised her hand to try and calm him. "It's alright, I already heard about that..."

The clergyman near her relaxed visibly, glad that he hadn't been the first to break the news. But Kairielis wasn't able to calm down nearly as easily. The thought of those two, languishing in some dark pit of a cell somewhere brought her worries rushing back. She tried to swallow it down to not look too suspiciously invested.

"W-where are the two of them now? The ones who were charged with the crime, I mean."

Her apprehension was noticed, but the priest clearly misidentified the reason. "Oh, don't you worry about them, they can't possibly hurt anyone any more. They won't be any further trouble at all, in fact. The order just went out."

Her heart dropped and her throat suddenly felt incredibly dry and scratchy. Without meaning to, her voice tumbled out in even more of a shaky squeak.

"O-order?" Perhaps she had been a little too naive in thinking they would just be held for a while in a prison cell or two, awaiting some type of decision or deliberation on punishment. But clearly they had already decided something.

The pockmarked priest seemed hesitant again to elaborate, and his companion clergyman hastily shuffled off to excuse himself from the situation. Clearing her throat, Beatrix leaned forward and bore her eyes into the spindly man and he wilted.

"It is...a bit of a grim topic, of course...I would much rather not discuss such things on a fine morning..."

 _Surely the punishment can't be that severe…_

She swallowed heavily. "Please, it's important that I know. I...simply won't be at ease otherwise."

"Yes, but...ah, well..." He stammered to a halt. Beatrix glared at him again, spurring his voice into action. "I-it seems because of their unwillingness to cooperate, and m-markedly steadfast loyalty to one another..."

 _If they've hurt either of them, I swear..._

"...it was decided that only one was needed for questioning."

Her legs went numb. "O-only one? W-what will happen to the other?"

"In order to pry more answers out of the other, they have...settled on a rather extreme decision."

She was starting to get tired of him dancing around without saying what he really meant, and it was starting to wear on her heart that was still pounding fiercely in her throat. "What decision!?"

He sighed, and tipped his watery eyes down to the ground. "They will be made into a swift example. The writ of execution for that scrawny rambunctious one has already been sign-"

She didn't hear anything else.

Before her mind had caught up to her feet, she was already halfway down the hallway to the entrance. It was so, so much worse than she could have ever imagined. She knew they were in trouble, but she would never have thought her father would approve of something so extreme as to demand their lives. If she could show the temple; no, show her father that nothing bad had come of their actions to free Ellone and return her memory, there would be no reason for any punishment at all, let alone a capital one.

Her goal of the entrance, just up ahead of her, was suddenly overshadowed by a group of knights dressed in strikingly strange garb that startled her almost more than their sudden appearance. Normally the guards and knights of the castle wore relatively tasteful dark colors with some of the royal insignia embroidered on their sleeves. These knights had almost garishly bright tunics in the maroon color of Galbadia.

The lot of them strode out from the corner, lead by basically the one person she didn't want to see right now. She tried to preemptively side-step him, but Hans matched her stride and remained stubbornly right in front of her.

"Going somewhere?"

It took nearly every ounce of restraint she had not to just shove him out of the way, but despite her newfound knowledge about her ability, there was still a lingering fear inside of her to actually make physical contact with another person. That, and she didn't want him of all people to be the first one to test it out on.

"Let me through." Her voice left no room for misinterpretation and was laced with sparks that only set fire to the determination swelling inside of her.

"To _where_ , I wonder?"

 _Oh_ how he was trying to intimidate her with that glower of his, but it wasn't working in the slightest.

After he refused to move, she spun on her heel and marched towards the nearby pillar. She tried to circle it to pass around behind him, but he looped the opposite way, continuing to impede her.

He raised a curious eyebrow in her direction. "Surely you need to get ready for our ceremony. Where else could you possibly be going at this hour?"

"With all due respect, it's absolutely none of your business." She was terse, pointed, and without a hint of wavering conviction. The last thing she wanted to do was give him a single morsel of information to use against her.

Unfortunately, her attitude actually seemed to impress him and the corner of his lip curled ever so slightly. It made her skin crawl.

"I'd say it is my business, considering it is my ceremony today also."

The guards behind the duke shifted, glancing at each other and mumbling under their breath. It was obvious they were plotting something, and she noticed they were clutching their halberds and shields tightly. What, were they going to actually try to _threaten_ her to stay? The lot of them were all visiting as the Duke's personal escort, and while they served his household, ultimately, her orders should supersede any of that. If she told them to stand down, they should have to listen to her.

Quite frankly, this Duke thinking he held any power over her was insulting.

But...she didn't really want to test it.

At this point, Beatrix, thankfully, had finally caught up with her and began to eye the Galbadian knights standing shoulder to shoulder against each other with some hesitancy.

"Very fine uniforms, gentlemen. I'm sure you'll look just as splendid later today in full ceremonial dress. But we have our own preparations to finish this morning and would appreciate being allowed on our way."

Incredibly jealous of Beatrix's acting skills, she tried her best not to show any emotion on her own face and nodded along with the knight's words.

"Yes but to where, exactly?" Hans lifted his hand for a moment, readying to give the order for his guard to move, but refrained from actually belying it. Clearly, he was still bargaining for some answers. He would clear his men out of the way if she gave him the information he was seeking.

Kairielis was trying harder now not to let any shred of panic set in, but it was more difficult than she had anticipated to fake it. She couldn't afford the time it would take to butt heads verbally with this stubborn snake of a Duke any longer. It wasn't ideal, but she realized there weren't many other options at this point.

She had no idea how much time Sora could afford right now. Every second she spent stalled might make all the difference in being able to save him. As much as she hated the idea of separating, especially when she was being practically stalked by Sir Evil at the moment, Hans would have no reason to stop Beatrix. And the former general, at least, could possibly find some way to delay the execution.

She once more dodged the Duke's question and glanced nervously to the knight next to her.

"Beatrix...you said you needed to get back to Namine?" She hoped her eyes could convey the true message she wished she could send, but with prying ears all around there was no way for her to voice it.

 _I need you to help him. Please..._

"Indeed." Fortunately, the former general was as swift thinking as she was formidable. She gave a hesitant salute, then cast one last scowl back at Hans and his henchmen. "But I am loathe to leave you without a _proper_ guard, considering I am currently meant to be standing in for your personal knights."

Ouch, that was a sharp dig. Kairielis was thankful that she didn't ever have to face the former general's wrath herself. Thankfully, Hans seemed eager to get the former general away from the situation and he gestured to his own guard with a grand sweep of his arm. "No need to worry. We will keep a close eye on her."

"I see..."

It almost went without saying that them hovering over her shoulder wasn't exactly a remedy for worry, so naturally his two statements invariably contradicted one another. Beatrix was having a tough time not saying so out loud, and gave Kairi one more nervous glance, before nodding stiffly.

"I'll be returning to my duties then."

She didn't wait for the Duke and began shoving her way through. Hans begrudgingly signaled to let the general pass by, but quickly intercepted the princess the moment she tried to take a step forward herself. Just over the shoulders of the guard she saw Beatrix offer her one last concerned nod, albeit a slightly reassuring one, before disappearing down the garden path.

Kairielis took a deep breath and centered her gaze back on the adversary in front of her. If he had seemed smug before, that had nothing on the expression he was giving her now, pleased at finally getting her alone. She wanted nothing more than to smash some type of whipped cream-laced pastry into that smug face of his.

"I also have my own matters to attend to. There will still be plenty of time for me to get ready for the ceremony, provided you stop needlessly delaying me."

Both of his eyebrows went up this time at her forwardness. "Something is different about you..."

The last few days she had been drifting in a haze of reverie, but she was now so focused it was undoubtedly noticeable.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She wasn't sure if he was trying to threaten her over her newfound confidence but she wasn't going to let that be considered a demerit.

He scowled, and traced his eyes across her face, as if searching for some hint of the information he was seeking upon it. "Is it that hard just to tell me where you are going? I'm just concerned for your safety..."

"I'm sure..." She whispered under her breath, not entirely caring if he heard. But his pressing was getting tiring, and she needed to get to do more than just glare at him for several hours while Sora and Riku were languishing in some dungeon somewhere, or worse.

It was time to try another method and play nice. She pinched her lips close together for a moment and gathered her thoughts. This was going to be a bit painful to act out…

With the most contrite look she could manage, she tipped her eyes down to her shoes. "Listen, the truth is...I didn't want to admit it, but I'm still feeling jittery about this ceremony. I wanted to go see my father and get some reassurance. I want things to move smoothly, for everyone's sake."

She kept her eyes focused downwards, trying to embrace what she was saying as if it was true. And partly, it was. "I didn't want to admit it because it is...shameful for me to have such reservations."

"Ah, I see..." A twisted smile played across his lips. "Well, then let's make sure you get to him."

There was something wicked in his face she didn't like, nor trust. She was hoping her excuse would play on his insane lusting after the crown and he would let her go on her way in order to not risk her getting cold feet. And while he signaled to his guards to let her pass, the minute she slipped out the door they all plodded along closely behind her down the path and she grew increasingly uncomfortable.

There was no way it could be this easy.

She kept her head tilted slightly to the side so she could keep an eye on him as he kept pace behind her with his own little army at the ready. While he tried to act surreptitiously, she definitely noticed when he whispered something to a few of his guards and let them dart off somewhere to do some unknown task.

He was planting eyes all over the castle, it seemed.

It was also hard for her to focus now on what she was even going to tell her father, but she knew planning it out wasn't going to do her much good. She just needed to get in front of him and spit it all out. She was trusting her heart could do the talking for her this time.

"The fire last night. Quite an unusual incident, wouldn't you say?" Hans's voice made her cringe.

So much for making it to her father without incident. She tried not to stiffen under his undoubted scrutiny and keep her face stoic.

"Yes, I'm glad no one was hurt."

"Indeed...no one of value, anyway." Hans stifled a light chuckle and she struggled not to react. She _really_ wanted a pie to throw at him now, even more than before. What a despicable thing to say. Lemon meringue would be a good choice, probably.

It also concerned her that he seemed to be, slowly but surely, dropping his own 'perfect gentleman' act.

He picked up his pace and fell in line next to her, so she took an uneasy side step to the left to avoid him and create some distance.

"By any chance, Princess, did anyone ever tell you _who_ they found to be responsible for it?"

She felt herself inwardly floundering. Surely she couldn't admit that she knew it was them, because her lack of reaction at such news would be immediately suspicious. But she couldn't be sure if feigning ignorance was just playing into whatever devious scheme he had going on behind those dark eyes of his.

"I have...suspicions about their identity. Everyone was loath to admit anything to me directly, so I can only assume it is someone...not insignificant in rank." She stiffly mumbled out, trying to keep her pace quick.

"You know..." He strode out in front of her, cutting her off abruptly and she stumbled on her own toes. "You can be surprisingly fetching when you're attempting to be deceptive. Perhaps we could get along quite well."

She shivered in revile at his comment, realizing the sudden prickling of her skin was also a dead giveaway of her nervousness. "That's not-"

"Don't think for one moment that I believe you don't know _exactly_ who started that nonsense last night." He stood stiffly in front of her, still hungrily smiling at her like she was some meal about to be devoured. "That's what this is all about, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean. I'm just going to see my father and-"

"What does he mean to you, exactly?"

She managed a slightly snarky smile of her own and sidestepped his question completely. "My father? What an odd question! Well of course my father means-"

Hans slammed his fist into the nearby wall, rattling the paintings hung upon it. "Stop with your charades, it's starting to grow insulting. You know very well who I was referring to."

She only met him with silence this time, and considered trying to tell his own guards to restrain him and let her move past, but she doubted very much now that they were going to listen to her in the slightest.

"That love-struck fool is willing to die for you. Isn't that romantic? Why it's the quintessential core of every beautifully tragic drama. But how does the Princess feel, I wonder?"

Both the Duke and the Princess glared at one another, neither budging an inch. On the outside, she looked stone cold, but her heart was racing so fast she couldn't even count the beats. Desperately she tried to think of a way to twist the conversation back into her favor so she could continue on to her father's room, but she knew she was already at a massive disadvantage. She had nothing but her own self to bargain with, and he had everything.

A matter he quickly took advantage of.

He leaned in closer to her face, observing her eyes closely. "Surely her heart aches even at the thought of him languishing in pain? To let him perish, believing she couldn't even be bothered to spare him a thought? _Surely_ she wouldn't want him to meet a lamentable fate? She would do _anything_ to stop it?"

Why must he say such horrible things? Why? Besides, what was his point, just to be cruel? And why did he look so utterly pleased by it? She stared past him, refusing to let her mind dwell on the images he was trying to conjure up for her.

"Only a pitiful excuse of a man would derive joy from any type of suffering. If you're trying to convince me to go through with the ceremony you are doing a poor job of it."

Why was it that every time she tried to counter his taunting with her own verbal riposte he only snickered back at her? No one ever took her seriously and it was infuriating.

"You misunderstand me. I only want what's best for everyone."

He was straight up mocking her now. Fury boiled inside of her but she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, searching for an exit path if she were to unexpectedly hurl one of her shoes at him and make a break for it through the garden.

"Let's not keep secrets from each other. Sincerity is best, is it not?" The sarcasm was dripping from his every word. "You want to save him. I want the ceremony to go on uninterrupted. I'm sure we can reach some agreement."

Well, the throw-a-shoe-at-him plan was starting to look more and more like a possibility. She didn't even care to listen to whatever nonsense he was going to spit out any more, she couldn't trust a single word out of his mouth so there wasn't any way she was going to consider any agreement with him, ever.

"If you go through with the ceremony peacefully and willingly, no heel dragging, as painless as possible, I can guarantee they will survive."

She tried incredibly hard not to roll her eyes. As if she couldn't do everything he was proposing herself, with far less strings attached if he would just _move_. He was so desperate to get her through that ceremony today it was bordering on being ridiculous.

All she had to do was appease him until she could get to her father.

"And if I do agree to carry on without a complaint, how can I even trust you'll help them?"

"Who else would be able to do so? You can't possibly appeal for them without betraying your own biased favoritism." He casually adjusted his sleeves, flaunting his power play. "Besides, as I said before my only interest is completing the ceremony peacefully. Once that is over I don't care either way if they live or die so there's no reason for me to go against my word."

"Nor any reason for you to uphold it."

He reared back slightly with a scoff. "You really think that little of me? My, my how easily you trust the poison that little rat must have fed you."

"Is the truth poison? I had no idea."

Ugh, maybe she should stop getting snarky with him. She hated that look he gave her every time she dished attitude back at him, almost like he was falling for her. Impressing a snake wasn't exactly high on her list of feel-good activities.

The Galbadian regiment was creeping slightly closer behind her and she turned a weary eye back on them. It was time to think on her feet again.

"I'm still not sure what has you so concerned. I have only ever been loyal to the rules my whole life. I know what it has been written for me to do. But that doesn't mean I must look the other way while they enact such an overbearingly harsh punishment." She calmed herself for just a moment more, and phrased her words as carefully as possible. "Just let me speak to my father and then, I promise, I will follow my destiny without a complaint."

"Tempting offer, but anything to do with that boy has me concerned. His very nature is to be contrary and I have no doubt he's already sown seeds of rebellion in you. So, no. I'm keeping you as isolated as possible until the ceremony."

The certainty of his assertion was equally as frightening as it was insulting. In the end, her indignation won the dominance fight.

"Oh, _really_? And under what authority are you going to keep me fr-"

A thick leather strap unexpectedly lassoed itself over her wrist and tightened with a hearty tug from the guard holding the other end. Stunned, she stared down at the restraint, again a conflicting mix of emotions. This time she was contending with feeling both offended and perplexed in equal measure.

"W-what is…?"

How did they even manage to loop that around her arm without touching her? Before she could consider her bearings on the situation, the now uncomfortably tight strap pulled her backwards, tipped her sideways and almost knocked her right down to the floor. She twisted her free hand around the buckle and wrenched at it, trying to free herself from the unexpected binding.

"What are you doing!? Get this off of me _now_."

"It's only a precaution."

Hans gestured to the side and the guard holding onto the strap continued to pull her towards the nearby door, ignoring every attempt of hers to escape. She shrieked and dug her heels into the floor, but only slid along the polished tile, unable to overpower the brute force of the knight on the other end.

Her cries for help echoed across the hall and she could only hope that someone had been able to hear her. Surely _someone_ was around. Not a soul responded to her screams before the doors were summarily slammed shut on her, leaving her trapped inside the small waiting room with the guard holding the strap around her wrist like she was some kind of misbehaving dog.

She twisted to glare at Hans as he stood by the door with a satisfied grin.

"How _dare_ you!"

The duke continued watching her struggles with idle curiosity. The leather of the strap was beginning to dig into her wrist and she winced in pain, feeling it scrape against her already raw wrist.

"You will get ready here. I've already summoned for the help to bring what you need. My offer from before still stands if you wish to accept it."

Against her better judgment, she twisted off one of her flats and, while dangling it from her toes, launched it in his direction with a shriek.

"You are despicable!"

He stared quietly for a moment at the place on his jacket where her shoe struck him.

"Yes, I already knew you felt that way. The question is, which is more detestable? Marrying me respectably, or letting your little pet die for you and then being dragged through the ceremony anyway to your utter humiliation? If you continue to be petulant, I'll not only make sure they are _both_ executed, but I'll make it as painful as possible."

She only regretted not hurling her shoe at him harder. He was a monster, and not only was she now running out of options, Sora was running out of time. She had no idea how Beatrix was faring either.

One thing was very clear: Hans wasn't going to let her out of this room until the time of the ceremony. And a few hours from now would be far, far too late. What could she even do in a position like this?

She yanked her wrist against the leather strap and glared at the knight holding it. "Do you _mind_?"

The knight glanced briefly at the Duke to get his permission before relinquishing his hold on the strap, allowing her to finally unfasten it and loosen it off of her arm.

"And are you planning on just standing there the whole time or may I at least get dressed in private?"

His lips puckered and he growled. "I may have questionable methods but I am not crass. The moment your items arrive I will excuse myself."

"Fine." She crossed her arms and plopped herself down onto the nearby chair next to the pearl vanity in the corner and waited.

There wasn't much in the room, honestly. Just the vanity, a closet, a full length mirror and a table with a bowl filled with fruit. There wasn't anything for her to use in terms of a weapon to fight off not only Hans, but his own little private army as well.

She considered every possibility. Maybe she could break the mirror and use it to cut up the dress once it was delivered and make a rope? But it probably wouldn't be a very strong rope, and she surely wouldn't be able to tie them all up before she was stopped...

Could she just burst the door open and take them by surprise? Ugh! Kairielis turned idea after idea over in her mind, but each one sounded just as problematic as the last. At the very least, the moment she was alone she was going to work on her escape plan.

They all waited in silence, letting the seconds tick by as she wallowed in indecision, and he scrutinized her every expression.

Would Sora really think she wasn't coming to help him? Perhaps he would. She wasn't entirely sure he hadn't already given up on her. The reserves of selflessness he had to constantly keep throwing himself in harms way for her, and not once had she ever been able to properly thank him for it. The last time she had seen him he had tenderly opened himself up, only for her to bumble it all up and spew a barrage of insults upon him. Kairielis, the monster she was, had probably shattered the poor thing's heart. What if that really was the last time she would see him, ever?

 _No, no no...I am going to save you this time, I swear it. Please just wait for me a little longer..._

A soft knock on the door startled her from her thoughts.

She was surprised to see a small group of maids, perhaps three in total shuffling in, holding up what looked like a massive pile of lacy sheets between them, so bulky and cumbersome it was basically swaddling the shorter girl in the middle so only her thin legs were visible sticking out from under the fabric. She was sitting on some sort of cart, keeping the whole thing balanced, and was probably suffocating underneath it all. This is why she assumed the group was only _perhaps_ three in number. There was still the possibility there was another girl hiding beneath that mess she couldn't see yet.

"What is all this…?"

"Your dress, Your Highness." One of the more visible maids who had a particularly kindly face, responded quickly, glancing about somewhat nervously around the room, as if she was searching for something. "We do not wish to disturb you, but due to it's difficulty in donning, we will stay to assist."

Her heart sank a bit in her chest and she swallowed it back heavily. If there were other people in the room with her, how could she possibly fashion a weapon to escape?

"A-ah, it's quite all right. I can manage on my own. Every other ritual dress I've worn has been designed to be put on by only one person after all, so I'm sure I can manage with this one as well..."

While the one maid remained hidden under the cumbersome gown and the kindly looking one who had spoken up earlier remained clutching the other side of it, the third began pulling bags and boxes off the bottom of the cart, the largest of which she assumed contained her shoes and other accessories. The maid then moved into the room with a cloth satchel Kairielis already recognized to contain various makeup and pastels for her face.

As the maid began laying out the brushes and chalks onto the vanity table, she also glanced nervously about the room. There was...something strange going on here.

The maid from before spoke up again to address her protests. "Your dress may be designed in that way, but sometimes following what is planned can still be too much for one person to bear."

Was that...a wink?

"Beatrix also sends her warmest greetings, and apologizes for being busy with Namine to see you off properly."

The maid setting out the makeup reached into her apron and extended a small pink card out towards her. Kairielis grabbed it up immediately and flicked it open.

 _Princess,_

 _It's a shame the Red Rose Courtyard is occupied today, it would have been a lovely place for you to exchange vows._ _If you find yourself losing faith, look into the mirror and trust what you see._ _While sometimes our eyes can deceive, no one but ourselves can really identify our own flaws._

The Red Rose Courtyard. Obviously Beatrix was telling her to go there. But what did she mean about the mirror?

Regardless, Kairielis did her best to keep her face level and gave a courteous nod towards the group so as not to rouse any suspicion from Hans who was peering at them all from the corner, scrutinizing every movement.

Beatrix definitely had something up her sleeve to get her out of this mess, she was sure of it. Kairielis had no idea what the former general had told these handmaidens, but it was clear they were at the very least involved in some way.

It would be best, then, to take them up on their offer of help immediately.

She thanked them, casting Hans an angry glare. "Some privacy, _please_."

"I take it you'll cooperate, then?"

Kairielis stared firmly away from him, her eyes focusing instead on the various makeup sets being laid out on the vanity dresser. "I already told you I will follow my destiny where it leads."

Taking this as her resignation, he hummed a bit and marched out, slamming the door shut behind him. She heard the definitive shuffling of boots, indicating that she was definitely not getting out through the door without having to pass that giant muscular wall of a guard first.

The truth of the matter was, she was far from resigned. She would burn every carpet in the entire castle to get to them if she needed to.

And now that her and the maids were all alone, Kairielis began to wonder what, exactly, had Beatrix cooked up for her. A slight shifting of fabric drew her attention. Ever so slowly, the cloth of the dress slid away from the girl hidden beneath, tumbling over the sides of the cart with a thick thump onto the carpet.

And staring back at her was a face so much like her own it was almost uncanny.

So much like her, but with the only difference being her strikingly shiny blonde hair.

...Almost as if she was looking into a mirror.

* * *

Hans didn't trust anyone. In fact, he barely even trusted himself some days. So there was no way he could be convinced those servants weren't up to something. Especially not when he saw the doorknob rattling and the bundle of tulle composing her dress train starting to be rolled back out again on the little wheeled cart.

"Is there a problem?"

He leaned towards the nearest maid, her arms full of fabric and lace.

"N-nothing serious, your grace. There was only a small issue with the fitting and since the princess said she was unable to go to the tailor directly..." Her eyes shifted to the side. "I'm t-terribly sorry for the inconvenience. It will only take but a moment."

"Any particular reason why the tailor can't come here?"

The maid gawked for a moment before attempting to mask her nervousness with a rapid shaking of her head. "I-it isn't a simple alteration. The tailor would need her equipment, so it seems faster to do it this way..."

"I see."

Hans wouldn't call himself an expert on human nature, but he could read deception well, and there was something this maid wasn't telling him. Without asking for permission, he leaned into the door of the room, just to check on the princess.

She was still there, her hair pulled back in a towel away from her face as she stared into the mirror of the vanity, her whole selection of colored paints and powders spread out before her in an array. There was something gaunt and haunted in her face, as if all the fight had melted out of her. She would definitely be needing the makeup, the very color had faded away from her cheeks.

A shame, really. Her feisty nature had been more refreshing. And while she looked like a washed out shell of her former self, she was at least cooperating. That was the more important part.

He returned his attention back to the maids and frowned at the bundles of lace held between them, balanced on the short little rolling cart to keep it from touching the ground. Two maids, one at each side and, just like before, one shorter girl held it at the center, buried almost completely by the draping fabric.

There was something wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

The maid from before inched to the side, eager to get moving. "Excuse me, your lordship, but there is only limited time to correct this issue..."

Once more, he hesitated to give her permission, but ultimately stepped to the side. And as he watched them stroll away down the hallway, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a mistake. To reassure his own mind, he glanced once more back at the princess, prodding listlessly at the makeup on the table.

He wasn't going to let her squirm out from this, and he was going to make sure she regretted ever standing up to him. Any spirit could be broken, even one as infuriating as that insolent brat that dared to oppose him. Good thing he would no longer be an issue much longer. Hans felt it quite a shame he wouldn't be able to see the deed carried out, but the idea alone was delightful enough.

It was a fitting punishment for their insolence. He had absolutely no intention in intervening to save the fool. Even if the brat somehow did manage to get out from under the executioners block, the moment he became king he would make sure to correct any...lingering trouble. Promptly.

That was just good housekeeping.

* * *

Kairielis shuffled the heavy garments off of her and gasped for fresh air, wondering how her cousin had managed to put up with it without complaint. And now that she was free from both her disguise and the predatory gaze of the duke, she was ready to immediately rush off to the Red Rose Courtyard.

Before running off, she turned to the two maids next to her. "I don't know what Beatrix told you, but I appreciate your help more than I can ever say."

Naturally they would be curious about quite a few things during this unusual situation. She wanted to take the time to explain it all, but that really wasn't something she could afford. Instead, all she could do was apologize.

Kairielis offered them both a deep curtsy, startling them both back onto their heels. It was absolutely unheard of for a princess to do such a thing to anyone, let alone a member of staff in the castle.

But she wasn't a traditional princess any more.

"When this is all over...I will thank you both properly."

To say they were baffled was a deep understatement. Both of them, slack-jawed, could only watch her as she raced away.

As she tore down the stone hallways, she focused on her breathing, trying to maintain as fast a pace as possible without winding herself. She wasn't exactly a long distance runner, that was for sure, but somehow her legs kept pushing her forward without a single complaint.

Along the way, she searched for something, anything to use to defend herself if anyone tried to get into her way.

 _"_ _You need to save him, Kairi._ _I will buy you whatever time I can."_

The words filled her heart with inspiration. She still couldn't believe that Namine was already even able to walk a few steps unassisted, let alone speak so coherently. But to also volunteer herself to such a dangerous role so soon after she had finally woken up? It had brought her to tears. Her cousin may have been trapped physically and mentally, but some part of her must have been awake, watching, waiting, itching to finally break free enough to act. She was going to make sure her efforts were not going to go to waste.

Perhaps it was fitting that the Red Rose Courtyard was the exact same place where the selection ceremony had taken place what felt like ages ago now. A time they should have been reunited after so long, but her memory had been so messed up she didn't even know his name. Now, at least it finally made sense why he had seemed so eerily familiar back then. Why just looking at him had stirred something inside her heart like a waterfall of emotion she was constantly trying to hold back. On her sprint, she once more fought to hold that watery torrent back, tears leaking from her eyes as she greedily sucked in another lungful of air.

 _Sora, Riku, Namine...everyone, please hold on._

* * *

"...and thus now being aware of all the crimes that stand before you, under the threat of death itself, do you still refuse to repent?"

The greasy haired jail warden narrowed his eyes at the stubborn knight strung up tight against the tall pole. He was beaten and bruised, perhaps only standing upright because of the binds keeping him there. No blow had been spared to get the boy to talk, the warden had made sure of that himself, yet he had been gifted only with silence in return. That boy had such a striking stare, his blue eyes constantly shining back with unmatched ferocity that the warden could still see them in his minds eye. And thanks to his stubbornness, there was absolutely no clue as to the whereabouts of the lost witch.

Not only that, but the other one was just as infuriating to deal with. Usually when there was a pair of miscreants it was easier, not harder. The common method was to separate them both, tell each of them that the other had already confessed the truth and like starving beasts smelling blood on the air get them to tear each other down to save their own skin. But even attempting that tried and true interrogation technique had been met with failure. In fact, when told that his friend had already ratted him out, the one named Riku had _actually_ laughed at the insinuation.

Such unwavering trust was a sad thing to see go to waste.

Shrugging, he waved a hand over to the records keeper and began making his way down the steps of the makeshift scaffold built up in the center of the courtyard.

"Let it be known to the official court records that he still refuses to comply." Turning now to the one known as the Dawnbreaker, currently bound and held back by several guards. Despite his struggling, he was unable to wrench himself free. "And will you allow your companion to meet his fate here today? Your compliance may spare him."

Yet another poignant glare met his questioning. This knight, at least, opened his mouth to speak, but it was only a string of vulgar obscenities. The warden wrinkled his nose and sighed. What more could be expected?

These two were dreadfully boring. Seeing men crack and squeal was one of the better parts of his job. Without that, putting them to death before they had confessed their secrets almost felt like a loss. Annoying is what it was.

Well, perhaps watching his friend suffer the consequences of his actions might make at least the other change his tune. He had seen it before.

"Very well, then. Let us proceed."

"Cowards." Riku's voice harshly snapped out as he continued to strain against the multiple arms and bindings holding him back. Just as a precaution, he had been wrapped in chains, leashed up like a wild animal to combat his every attempt to reach his friend.

"You could still save him, if you only tell us where you hid the witch." The warden gave it one more attempt, noticing just how much more he was straining to break free. So much so, that in a few places the chains were beginning to discolor with drops of blood digging into his body.

"You keep asking that. It's pathetic."

Ah, well.

"If there is anything at all _substantive_ you wish to say, speak it now while you are still able."

The warden noticed both parts of this infuriating pair letting their eyes briefly meet across the distance. Nothing was exchanged but a look. While the warden couldn't understand the message, he was sure something poignant had been communicated between them.

The warden cast his eyes back onto the one bound up on the scaffold across the courtyard and frowned. Any moment now he was expecting the same scene as always right before an execution. He expected the wobbling weak knees, the begging, the pale-faced regret washing all over the face of the damned. But this boy ever continued to be an exception. His eyes were locked on the sky above, a light smile playing across his features.

There was something admirable about a man who could look death in the face and smile.

But to the warden, it was still annoying nonetheless.

Wanting to get this matter over with, the warden snapped and gestured to the two executioners on standby, each with a long pole-arm grasped at the ready. It was generally customary to use two in order to make sure the heart would be impaled swiftly. It was a messy business, but necessary.

Taking a step forward, he cleared his throat and grabbed up the rolled parchment from his back pocket. With a flaunted relish he unfurled it and turned towards the King, records keeper and the other witnesses up on the nearby balcony.

"His Royal Highness and his honored retainers, all those serving today as witnesses and with duties to fulfill, we regretfully shall carry out before you the execution of the accused. As established, he is aware of the charges against him, and has refused all negotiations forthwith. Thus, out of obligation to the rules and traditions of this kingdom, his name shall be stripped of all titles and..." The warden paused, struggling to read what was scratched in hastily in the margins of the parchment. "Ah. Well I see the accused _has_ no titles..."

The warden tried to ignore the light sarcastic chuckle from the chained up knight right behind him. Gods those two were infuriating.

He cleared his throat and began again. "In that case, may his soul find peace among the stars, for his remains shall be forever banished from our kingdom, to become naught but dust in the darkness. By the King's hand, it shall be done. At the ready!"

* * *

Her adrenaline was starting to not be nearly as effective at staving off her exhaustion, and she was desperately trying to shove the burning sensation in her lungs away to the back of her mind. Just keep moving forward. That was all.

She rounded the next corner wide and was glad she did. Guards blocked the entire passageway towards the courtyard and it looked like they were refusing any and all passage. Beatrix was pacing back and forth in front of them, cursing.

"I am aware that I am not acting general, but I should still be allowed a say! There hasn't been an execution in the gardens for nearly two decades! It's madness!"

The guards refused to budge, shaking their heads sadly at her. "True, it's a sad state of affairs, but it is the King's orders. Only those involved are to be allowed in."

"And what about me?" Kairielis slowed, but kept striding forward purposefully, noting the relieved look that briefly flickered across Beatrix's face.

Both of the knights guarding the hallway shrank back away from her. "Y-your Highness? What are you...weren't you meant to be getting ready for the ceremony today?"

She didn't even bother to answer their question, and instead raised her palm up and out towards them.

"Move. You don't want to touch me on accident, do you?"

Slack-jawed, they stumbled away from her, realizing that short of jabbing her with the blunt ends of their spears they couldn't exactly shove her away or stop her forward march. All they could do was mumble in absolute confusion, fall back and watch.

Tuning them out completely, she looked past them to the courtyard just beyond and searched for the only two people she wanted to see right now.

All she wanted was to at least see him again, and know that he was still there.

The knights, having given up at trying to stand in her way called out to several others waiting further in for assistance. A small group of them hustled over quickly, all adjusting their gloves should they need to use force to stop her.

She raised her hand again threateningly. "Stand back and let me through! No one is to touch me, right? So get out of my way!"

They obviously faltered, not any one of them wanting to be the first to lay a hand on her even with their gloves on. She knew their stunned indecision would only last so long, and she rushed forward, snatching up a spare spear that was leaning up against the wall as she passed.

She didn't know how to use it, really, but she figured it wasn't too hard to figure out. Pointy end that way, scowl, and that should get the message across.

* * *

After taking his place back up on the scaffolding to observe, to the warden's surprise, one of the executioners was hesitating to move into position. He gestured again, more harshly this time.

"I _said_ , proceed."

The hesitant one on the left scuffed his boot against the ground and itched at his elbow. "But sir, well..."

" _What?_ "

"It's just...I know this guy. He helped out my Nana when I was stuck in Trabia...so I really dunno if I can carry this out. My Nana said-"

"Your _Nana_!?"

Of all the asinine issues to happen…

The warden rolled his eyes and snatched the halberd away from him with a hiss. "Don't you _dare_ let your personal bias affect your duty."

"But..."

To both of their surprise, they heard a voice croaking to life behind them. "It's okay, you don't have to feel guilty about it."

Whipping around, the warden pointed the lance straight at his neck. "Ah! So you can talk! I was beginning to think you were deficient in that department."

As he expected, the boy clammed up immediately, not flinching in the slightest at the pointed weapon jabbing towards the sensitive skin of his throat.

"He may be wary to act, but I am not. Do you really have no last words, nor anything to even plead for your life? No message you wish to leave for posterity?"

Another inexplicable smile. "If this is where my adventure ends, I don't regret anything."

"Very well." The warden lowered the spear and shoved it back into the hands of the bumbling executioner, still stammering next to him. "Prove your worth. If you truly do wish to repay a debt to him, make sure his end is swift."

The first signal was given, and one of the two halberds rose up to point straight towards the accused. The spear held by the one on the left wobbled slightly in fear, it's wielders' hesitancy still evident.

"I...I'm sorry." The man cast his eyes to the floor.

Without another word, that strange knight, always contrary to expectation, still refused to weep or beg, and only smiled back at the executioner and waited.

Ultimately relenting to his duty, the man tightened his grip and lifted the halberd into position. Both of the executioners waited, eyes locked on the King as he sat in his throne under the shaded awning, watching for the final signal to initiate the end.

Rising from his chair, the King extended his arm out in front of him, pausing to read the face of the accused, still bound tightly to the pole and not even actively struggling to free himself.

It was unlike any execution he had ever witnessed before, and that gave him pause.

"Do you really have no excuse for what danger you've put my daughter in? The disaster you have unleashed on this kingdom? I only wish to know why."

Those fierce blue eyes softened, ever so slightly. "It was an important promise. That's all."

The King showed no emotion to his answer. "I was told you made bold claims to care very deeply for her. Is this true?"

"...yeah."

The directness and simplicity of his answer was shocking. "Are your actions not contradictory to this? You have disregarded her safety, and only caused her distress on the day of her Bonding. Surely she would not feel very appreciative of your actions and would condemn you in turn."

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance.

A ruckus of shouting echoed from the nearby hall, and a crowd of knights spilled back into the courtyard. The warden couldn't make out what they were all yelling about, but when he suddenly saw the princess charging towards the scaffolding, spear awkwardly clenched under her arm...

...he had a pretty good guess what the commotion was about.

* * *

"Leave him alone!"

She was in such a rush to reach the top of the scaffold she nearly tripped on the last stair, her toes thumping soundly into it. It rattled her, but she staggered upright and suppressed the pain as she rushed to intercept the two guards bearing their pointed halberds right towards the person she had longed to find.

Her mind spun, circling around like a whirlpool with him at the very center. He was here. Sora was right here. He was still okay. Her body hummed as electric excitement surged through her with the revelation.

"Get away from him, now!" Kairielis charged towards them, her voice breaking and shrill as it was laden with so many swelling emotions.

Her pole clashed against the spears, knocking them back. The two knights gripping them teetered unsteadily to the side.

The warden tried to take a step forward. "P-princess, y-you..."

"Please stand down! I don't want anyone getting hurt but I will fight back if I have to."

Both of them were looking more baffled than actually threatened, but she didn't care. So long as they stood far enough away they could think whatever they wanted.

The fog of confusion swamping the whole courtyard also allowed more than enough time for Beatrix to slip through the rows of guards and make her way over towards where Riku was currently restrained in the corner.

Kairielis kept her impromptu weapon pointed firmly in the direction of the executioners and the prison warden, not trusting them to try and approach to wrench the pole out of her grip. It was so hard for her not to turn and look back.

Right behind her. He was right behind her.

Her father was the first to address her in more than a series of confused blinks.

"What is this madness!?"

She turned to glare defiantly back at the King, no longer feeling the swirling fear in the deepest reaches of her stomach, her legs standing sturdy and sure beneath her despite the aching in her toes. In her mind's eye, she planted her feet down into the sand and unleashed her fury against the waves of the sea that had always before swept her out to drown.

"You know nothing of my feelings, and if you even cared to ask just _once_ you shouldn't be surprised by any of this!"

For the first time the force of the tide was hers alone to control. She refused to let either her father or the rules intimidate her again. Once a daunting force of nature, the King felt like he had somehow shrunk in stature completely despite still standing high above her on the balcony. He was only a man, after all.

"You've only ever pushed me away! You took my memories from me, caused others to suffer for it, and put forth every effort to strip every speck of humanity from my heart. How could you ever claim to know what I feel, when you only ever tried to stamp those feelings into dust!?"

It felt like once she started, everything began to tumble out all at once. Rather than try and hold anything back, she just let it go. And almost for the first time, she saw her father's eyes bearing down on her with something beyond cold indifference. Like a lone beam of light flickering through the rafters of a dusty attic, his eyes had the faintest gleam of recognition just barely illuminating the dim coldness around it.

But it quickly faded under his stern brow.

"You are young, naive and haven't yet learned to control your own emotions. When you mature you should understand. If only you knew what has-"

She could feel the waves swelling up even more inside of her and she straightened up even taller.

"You're wrong, I know everything! I know you think what you did to my memories was out of necessity, and maybe even out of love, but you were wrong then, too. You were too afraid to see that a kingdom built upon such horrible practices could possibly be flawed and need to be rewritten. What good is hiding from the darkness if the only way to do so is to bury our compassion and everything that makes us human!? Love and hope will banish it away!"

Ienzo, who up until this point had been taking fervent notes suddenly stalled, his quill rattling against the parchment as his face paled. "You know _everything_? But...your memories were..."

Before the records keeper could question further, her father raised his hand to silence him. "Those same notions your mother spouted are idealistic, but impractical. As we are in positions of authority we cannot proclaim lofty dreams and expect them to not pull us to ruin. She chased her dreams and look what they brought her. Nothing but useless failure."

Trembling, Kairielis fought back the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "Her love wasn't useless! I've seen it! Felt it! I wouldn't be here were it not for her, and the kindness of others. Thanks to Sora, I..."

Just saying his name made her heart flutter once more, even under the gaze of the entire courtyard on her.

"I should have lost my Ability completely after what happened during Darkfall. But I didn't. Not because you stole my memories from me, but because of them! Their love helped my true strength awaken and I could save countless others in turn. It is ever so clear to me that this kingdom cannot survive on our traditions alone, by burying our hearts in the sand."

Kairielis noticed one of the closest knights trying to reach for her stolen halberd, but she jabbed the pointy end of it towards him, hissing. "I told you to stay back."

Returning her gaze back towards her father, she was ready to unleash another tirade of anger in his direction, but was stunned to see him already slumped down into his chair, his face ashen as if he had aged years in just a moment.

"You know of Darkfall...those two and that witch truly have doomed us all."

Murmurs bounced across the walls as the onlookers struggled to comprehend exactly what was unfolding before them. Some lamented, only understanding that their once proud King was now looking irreparably broken on his throne. Others seemed angry, wondering what could have possibly gotten into the mind of their princess to be fighting so hard against the rules.

"No! They saved me! Saved Namine! Saved that poor woman who had years of her life unjustly taken from her! Every single one of us here should be bending at the knee before them for what they've done to correct such a horrible mistake."

Her father swayed in his chair, as if he could no longer hear her. "All is lost...if you remember, than the light must be lost..."

He just wasn't getting it, and she was done trying to force him to hear. If anything, she needed to show him the truth. The guards nearby were already more loudly chattering among themselves, trying to understand the situation. But it was clear to all of them that something incredibly unusual was happening, and even the prison warden was frozen with indecision.

She could feel all their eyes on her. Normally, her blood would have run cold with fear and apprehension of taking such a prominent position. But even as she stood at the center of it all, her body was pulsing with adrenaline and energy and she feared nothing at all. She was not only standing up for herself, but she was the only barrier left standing to keep Sora safe.

It was only when she heard a cheerful and familiar laugh behind her that her knees finally trembled and the breath caught in her throat. Once more the same thought rippled through her still humming body.

Right behind her. He was right behind her.

The burning need to simply see his face grew unbearable. It was a pulsating fiery beat of furor emanating from the very center of her core and out. A magnetic, furious energy that now fully hypnotized her body. Tearing her eyes off of the knights at the other end of the scaffold, she spun around, drinking in his image.

His eyes shined out just the same as she remembered. The exact smiling stare that he had as a child, encouraging her to never give in to any despair that tried to drag her down. She could only gaze on him, quivering, waiting for him to speak again. Even if he would just laugh once more, it would mean more than anything.

Despite the bruises, his happiness unmistakably glowed.

"I knew you'd make it in time."

Her heart thumped heavily in her chest. She readied herself to speak but only just realized that now, standing right in front of him, she had absolutely no idea what to even say. Her mouth opened and closed over and over again like a limp fish, unable to even start.

Everything about him was just as warm and familiar as she knew, and she realized that it must have been almost torturous for him that she had never acknowledged any of their past together. But even then, the entire time he never held it against her. He had only ever carried on treating her just as he always had. She recalled his very firm assertion to her in the garden, the last time she had seen him.

 _'You'll always be Kairi to me. Not a princess. Not anyone else but you.'_

Gods, how had she been able to resist that pervasive magnetic energy of his for so long? All she wanted to do was rush forward and snuggle up close. Only the tiniest brush of his touch was all she needed. He was absolutely, completely _everything_.

He had already captivated her without even saying a word.

As if he could sense her inability to speak, he grinned again, his face shining with hope. A welcome sight, but it did nothing to calm her furiously racing pulse.

"About your memories...Kairi, do you really remember now?"

"I..." Warmth flooded every corner of her just hearing him say her name, and she barely managed to sigh out what she so desperately needed to say.

"I do. I remember everything."

Rather than looking surprised, he looked as endlessly happy as ever. There was only one problem; now that she could get a clearer look at him it was so hard not to be disturbed by the bruises and injuries marking his body. Knowing that he was safe was some comfort, but she still felt guilt burning in her throat.

"Sora...I'm so, so sorry that you've always had to suffer because of me. You've been through so much..."

The tears finally bit their way out, one of them tracing its way down her cheek where it quavered at the end of her chin, refusing to fall.

"I know apologizing won't make it right, and it's wrong of me to stand up here and beg for your forgiveness, but I...I just want you to know h-how much I wish I could fix it all."

He struggled against the binds still tying him to the pole, his smile faltering instantly at the sight of her tears. "H-hey that's not fair, none of this is your fault. Please don't cry..."

She nodded and tried wiping away the tears, but they only kept coming. Sora's image blurred under the haze, and she began to feel pangs of embarrassment acting like such a fool. She had come in, attitude blazing and now she was reduced to a sniffling mess.

Squishing his face a bit to the side, Sora hummed and considered things for a moment. "If you _really_ wanna make it up to me, I'll only ask for two things."

She didn't even hesitate. "Name them."

"The first rainstorm we are gonna totally go rainbow hunting."

That earned him a smile. "Gladly. And the second thing?"

"Uh..." He shrugged against the ropes and tried to hide a sly little grin slowly peeking its way out on his face. "You think I could maybe get untied from this thing?"

Adorable. She really had missed him.

However, Kairielis only manged one emphatic nod before she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and whipped around to point her spear sloppily at whatever it was. Riku skidded to a halt, raising both his hands up in somewhat sarcastic defense.

"I see you got a weapon upgrade. No more candlesticks, then?"

Realizing her error she hastily dropped the tip of the spear down with a gasp and nearly burst into tears of joy. While his words were a bit teasing, it was nothing she hadn't expected and was so incredibly glad to hear him, snark included.

She stepped back to allow him to reach Sora's side, where he started fiddling with the binds to untie him. While he did so, Kairielis glanced back in the direction that he came from to see Beatrix waiting at the base of the scaffold, looking weary but relieved.

With his hands now free, Sora winced and rubbed at his wrists. "Thanks..."

The two of them looked exhausted, but helped each other stand upright.

Once they were both balanced somewhat, Riku thumped his friend on the back and sighed. "Out of all the girls you could have fallen for, you had to go for the one with about a million strings attached."

"H-hey, that's..." Teetering about on his feet, Sora tried to hide his slightly reddened face from view.

It was a little embarrassing to hear something so direct, but she was secretly quite pleased about it, and realized her own light blushing probably betrayed her own feelings quite easily. The more she looked at him, the more one singular desire kept circling through her mind.

 _I want to feel exactly how warm he is._

All she wanted was to snuggle close to him again, like in her memories. They spent so many nights cuddled together under the same stars, watching the constellations and the drifting fireflies. Those times were filled with so many horrors, but the memories of him were so clear and vivid. The time with him was worth remembering every terrible thing along with it. She would never regret her choice to learn the truth.

If only she had accepted it earlier, when Sora had confessed it all. The strong burn of guilt was still bitter in the back of her throat. She hesitantly glanced over to the two of the knights, realizing her expression was probably a bizarre mix of desire and regret.

Sora, having recovered from his embarrassment at being called out, gave her a hesitant head tilt. "You okay?"

"I...should never have doubted what you told me. It was all true. Every word of it."

So many feelings tumbled around inside she still couldn't find a good starting place. It was like she kept pacing around this vast lake, searching for the best place to leap off from the shore into its depths, but could only keep dipping her toes tentatively into the cool water. What words could truly capture just how much she wanted to take it all back?

"I said so many awful things to you..."

He blinked in shock. "Huh? You already apologized for everything already, you don't have to do it twice. After all, I probably could've gone about telling you all that stuff in a better way myself."

Riku mumbled something that she assumed was a playful retort of some sort, judging by the way Sora jabbed back at him with his elbow.

After a brief pause of reflection, Sora slowly extended his hand out in her direction. His wrist bore deep red marks from the ropes that had been tightly clenched around it for so long, but his hand was otherwise the same as she remembered it when he had last urged her to take it. Kairielis heard an eruption of voices behind her as the onlookers began to panic over what exactly he was offering her.

"How about a do-over? If that's okay with you."

It was more than okay. It was all she wanted. She beamed back, trying not to just hurl herself at him immediately. A princess certainly couldn't look _too_ desperate.

"You said before you wanted me to figure out what I wanted for my own future, right?"

Sora paused a moment, tilting his head as he tried to recall the words of the past. "I just want you to be comfortable and happy being yourself, no matter where that takes you."

"I'm sorry it took so long. But I think I finally found myself."

He nodded back to her firmly, his face alight with happiness. "I'm really glad you finally found yourself again, too."

The way the steadily rising sun danced across the courtyard made the stones of the cobbled pillars nearby seem to glisten and twinkle. It was like the whole night sky had swooped down to watch, making her feel all the more like this was some wonderful waking dream.

Nothing had felt more right than this.

"Sora...I already wasted so much precious time that we had together. I won't make that same mistake twice. The path I want to follow is the one with you at my side."

There was absolutely no question in her mind. Taboo or no taboo, she had made her choice. Before she said another word, Kairielis cast her eyes over the knights, the onlookers, the records keeper, and lastly her father, still waiting with horrified expressions, wondering what unprecedented event was unfolding in the center of the courtyard.

She gestured to them all, her voice proud and steady, stabbing her spear point first into the wood of the scaffolding below her.

"Watch closely and watch well, for even if my voice should falter, I want none to question what you see here this morning. This Kingdom has been sustained for generations on prolonged suffering."

She remembered the voices and stories of all the villagers that Sora had taken her to meet on her blind tour of the town. "All of us have lost something or someone dear to us, but we are all eternally bound by love and camaraderie, and will be forever."

She remembered her grandmother's words, and her mother's prayers for the future. "These very same bonds that the traditions of this kingdom have done nothing but attempt to tear down, generation after generation. I will stand idly by no longer!"

She remembered staring out across the golden sunflower sea, singing songs, wishing for a bright future under that luminous blue sky. "From this day henceforth, I will do whatever it takes to change it all. I will prove to you and the ones who follow, and the ones who follow after them, that the bonds between us are stronger than myths and superstitions."

None who saw her would ever deny that in her passionate declaration, the princess had shone so beautifully and elegant on top of that scaffold, her cheeks tinged the lightest pink with fervor. None would deny that Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla, Princess of the Seven Gardens, Duchess of the Floating Isles and Bearer of the Light Refraction, from that moment forward had cast off the shackles that had so long bound her.

She was undoubtedly her mother's daughter.

And with a running start, in the middle of the Red Rose courtyard, the princess of light took one sure step after the other, straight towards the most unconventional knight in the whole history of the garden.

But she didn't take his hand, as he expected her to. No, this time, she surprised him.

She rushed straight past his extended arm, crashing breathlessly against him in a full embrace. He stuttered and wobbled, unable to fully comprehend what was even happening. Taking advantage of his stupor, she wrapped her arms around his center, clutching him as she sank fully into the feeling of warm sunshine surrounding her entire everything.

The most delightful thing, she decided, was being able to hear his heart merrily thumping in her ear, almost singing.

"You really haven't changed. Not one bit." Just as her whispered words slipped past her lips, she was almost sure she felt his pulse fluttering in response.

And every fragment of restraint that Sora had to endure for all that time crumbled instantly. There rules that he so hated had been utterly abandoned, cast away forever. All the desire that he had been suppressing, unable to act on, was finally released. He scooped her up tightly and squeezed back.

His arms surrounded her, strong and yet so completely gentle. It felt like she was floating through the sky on a cloud, supported and caressed as she dangled high over the earth. A dangerous act that never once left her feeling in danger at all.

In his embrace she was certain she heard him whisper her name, her real name, as everything in her mind was adrift and at peace.

Finally, she found the last piece of herself that she had thought long gone, ever since her memories had been ripped away. That last fragment that finally made her heart feel more full and whole than the entire time she had been wandering alone through the years.

From his very first touch she knew that she was, and would forever remain, Kairi. Just Kairi.

* * *

 **A/N: I know this chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I felt like it all needed to be kept together rather than split in two.** **This isn't the end yet, of course but we are rapidly approaching it.**

 **Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (those of you who celebrate it!) and I'm sure we can at least all be happy with the recent announcement of KH3 going gold! (^^)v**

 **Can't wait! Also, I am excited to report that I get to see Utada Hikaru soon during her concert! I'm crossing my fingers that she will sing one of the theme songs.**

 **Until next time, take care!**

 **-A. Moth**


	19. Ch 19: A New Dawn, Interrupted

"You deceptive witch!" Han's open hand collided stiffly against her cheek and she whimpered; the blow powerful enough to send her crumbling to the floor like an unbalanced sandcastle.

"Did you really think you could fool me with such a childish ploy!?"

Namine clutched a hand weakly to the sore spot on the side of her face. It had been so hard to even take a few steps, the exertion alone left her breathless. Her heart was still racing, arms still shaking, but a swelling sense of victory was filling her spirit so full to bursting she didn't mind at all.

She gulped down a fresh mouthful of air and tipped her eyes, shimmering, towards the man looming over her.

"Perhaps not. But if I gave her enough time, that's all that matters."

His face twisted in fury as she spoke and she barely had enough time to finish before he was already storming off.

Namine didn't have the energy to chase him. Barely mustering enough to slump against the wall, she felt the cold stone against her sore cheek and sighed. It hurt when he struck her, but it had been so long since she had felt anything that she almost didn't mind. The marble was so refreshingly chilled, the wind a brief whisper through her hair.

She was part of the world again, instead of trapped behind enclosed panes of glass in a world where nightmarish screams and shadows splashed themselves across her vision whenever she tried to turn away. Not a mirage or an illusion. No longer a ghost.

Real.

She never remembered reality to be so...calm. Quiet.

Soon, the only images twisting around her imagination would be those she conjured up while reading from the storybooks of the library.

She huddled into the corner and relaxed into her self-made safe space, finally feeling her rapid pulse slow. In her heart she knew Kairi was going to save him, and then all would be made right again.

How wonderful would it be, to have everyone together, relaxing in the garden over a lazy afternoon? Once she recovered enough, she resolved herself to try drawing it just as she hoped.

Still exhausted, her body forced her into an early slumber all alone, leaning against the empty hallway wall. Namine was willing to go, as her dreams were now of nothing but hope.

* * *

Her hair was lightly tickling his nose so he pushed himself closer. Mostly only because he could, but if he was being completely honest it was also because she had such a nice floral scent all he wanted to do was breathe it in. He couldn't quite decide if it was more like roses or raspberry, but either way it was just the right mix of tart and sweet. If he thought about it... _really_ thought about it, he could almost recognize a vague sense of soreness and pain lingering in his limbs, but it was so muted that it didn't even matter any more. Now everything felt so refreshing and peaceful, he didn't ever want to let go of her again.

She was warm, soft, and pretty much every good thing that ever existed, ever.

And more importantly, she was finally back. Every last fragmented piece had finally aligned, just the way he knew her to be. That thought alone was more comforting than anything. Maybe it was just all the compounded relief, but he honestly felt like all he wanted to do now was crash into a deep sleep, holding her tight. No way he would ever have a bad dream again, feeling her heart fluttering against his.

"Sora…?"

Just hearing her calling out his name made his whole throat clench, every part of him shivering in nervous anticipation. So much so, that he almost didn't register that she was trying to ask him something and it took him a moment to find his voice again.

"Y-yeah?"

"It's him again..."

Not quite sure who she was referring to and not exactly looking forward to seeing the answer, he swallowed back a groan and glanced over in the direction she was now focused on. Standing at the other side of the courtyard, hands clenched, face locked in a ferocious scowl was that self important puffin of a Duke who liked throwing cakes onto his carpet when he was ranting on and on about how evil he was.

Perfect timing, like always.

He felt Kairi squeeze him more tightly in response to the sight. Maybe it was a bit of the wrong response, but Sora couldn't help smiling, realizing exactly what that guy was able to see. It was kind of satisfying.

 _Take that you arrogant windbag. Told ya she cared about me!_

Thankfully, Beatrix was still waiting around at the base of the scaffold and moved quickly to intercept Hans should he actually manage to recover from his stupor to take any steps forward.

She took no pause before aggressively spitting out her question. "Where is she?"

Hans' stony expression hardened even further and he grimaced, his eyes still locked in the center of the courtyard. Chilly cold like a surge of bitter winter air, his voice hissed out slowly.

"I commend you for a very clever ploy. The betrayal was an intense surprise. It took me quite a while to realize exactly what was wrong with that little body double, but she was unfortunately unable to replicate that fiery spirit of yours."

The icy atmosphere filled the air even more and Beatrix drew her sword in one swift motion. "If you did anything to her, I will _never_ forgive you for it."

He shrugged. "Were you going to forgive me anyway? I had no reason to hurt the girl, however, so you can stop threatening me with that."

" _Where is she!?_ "

"How should I know? Back where I left her, I suppose. Weak thing could barely even walk anyway."

Beatrix tore off through the courtyard, shoving knights out of the way in her rush. Sora had no idea who they were talking about, but assumed it must have something to do with Namine to have her acting so rashly. He felt the hairs on his arms bristling. If that was the case, she had better be alright.

There was also something...unhinged about the way Hans was acting. As if he had given up on every false image he had been struggling to maintain. To be honest, Sora knew he probably wasn't in much of a condition to fight this guy at the moment either, so if things got seriously bad it would be, well...bad.

Right. No weapon either. They had confiscated that. And with the onslaught of imaginary daggers being currently slung at him from Hans' eyes, he could only hope they stayed imaginary. Unfortunately at that moment, piling into the courtyard were several uniformed guards that Sora didn't recognize.

Seriously? He brought goons? This guy was starting to get so textbook villain it was ridiculous. All he needed now was some kind of twirly mustache to complete the image. Or a beard.

Sora tried to picture either on the enraged face below and accidentally smiled a bit at how goofy either would look. Which, given the circumstances, probably wasn't the reaction that Hans was expecting.

"Wipe that gloat off your face this instant, you imbecile! It's over!"

"I wasn't gloating, I was just..." Sora cut himself off, realizing he probably shouldn't explain he was actually trying to see if their adversary below looked good with facial hair. "Never mind."

"I know you're thick but how you can possibly smile in the face of inevitable doom is insanity. Just look at what you've done!" Hans gestured furiously over to Kairi, still pressed up against him. "I can't believe you've done this, Princess. You saved your precious little fool, congratulations. And what did it cost? Everything! Perhaps everyone else is too stunned to speak, but someone needs to teach selfish children like you a lesson."

He grandly smacked himself in the chest, rattling the various pins and ornaments of his accomplishments decorating his uniform. "No matter what you want to believe, the laws are still the laws. I am still destined to take control of this mess and now I see I must rule with an iron fist."

Glancing down at the Duke, Riku sighed before offering Sora a slight smirk. "He's almost just as persistent as you."

Sora wanted to give him a little smack for that one, but that would require him to release Kairi's shoulder with one of his hands to do so and he definitely didn't want to do that. He could feel the way she was shaking against him, heart racing despite her face trying to remain steady. The last thing he wanted was to take away any sense of a safe shelter she was seeking.

Kairi gulped down some fresh air and lifted her chin up to face him. To his surprise, she brightened into a pure smile as soft as light streaming through the boughs of a tree, and then reached up to remove his hands off her shoulders herself. He complied, confused, and even a little sad at the sudden lack of her warmth under his fingers.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she spun to face the Duke who was still slowly ascending the stairs towards them all.

What was once so sweet an expression quickly morphed into the calmest anger he had ever seen. It was like she was holding back all the fury of a stormy sea behind her, the waves at her back billowing and seething with power and rage. All of it reflected in her eyes.

"What do you know of my destiny!?"

It halted Hans in his tracks immediately.

She had such a fire to her that Sora couldn't help but stand in awe, frozen himself. She was beautiful. Absolutely breathtakingly so. And while her father seemed to be too occupied wallowing in his own despair to notice, he didn't want to look away for one second.

"Do you even know _why_ Sora is so important to me?"

Hans rolled his eyes and took one more step up towards her. "Does it even matter?"

"More than you will ever realize."

And while she was still talking to Hans, her beautiful gaze returned back to him. The roaring tide of her furor immediately calmed, her voice once more gentle and comforting. She was so in control, her emotions so powerful and inspiring he nearly forgot to breathe for a moment. And she was looking at him with such fondness it was making his knees weak.

"Sora has risked everything because he wanted me to be able to write my own destiny and be myself."

Like it was on a switch, she focused again back at Hans, the storm once more heading straight for him. "And starting today I am going to follow a destiny that only I decide! Not what anyone else tells me!"

The Duke balked. "What you decide? What makes you think you have a choice?"

Sora opened his mouth to help defend her, but there wasn't any need. She already had it more than covered.

"What makes _you_ think you have any power over me? I want to make myself extraordinarily clear: I will never. _Ever._ Marry you."

 _Wow._

Her voice was clear, defiant, and without the slightest whisper of indecision. Her assertiveness making her personality shine. And...just wow. She was _really_ something.

Sora gulped, trying to stay focused and not let his thoughts slip into anything too inappropriate. It was actually harder than he expected. While it was the absolute worst time in the world for it, he couldn't deny how unbelievably attractive she was right then and there.

Unfortunately, Hans didn't seem to think having a voice was a desirable trait in the least, and his face was turning a deeply infuriated shade of crimson.

"You useless girl. You've thrown your whole kingdom away and now without your powers you are nothing but a worthless headstrong brat. Everyone is thinking it!" He flung his arms out towards the silent courtyard, still cluttered with speechless knights gaping at the scene.

"What you need is a strong hand to beat that rebellious streak of yours down. And now that I can, I won't hesitate."

 _That does it!_

Unable to keep silent any longer after that type of remark, Sora glared at him, furious. All his previous joviality nothing but a memory.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her."

He scoffed. "Why does it matter? She's already soiled her one redeeming quality of purity on an idiot like you."

"What!? She's got way more than one-"

Riku stepped out in front of him, shaking his head. "Relax. A guy like him isn't worth getting worked up over. All he's done is just told everyone what a pathetic excuse of a man he is. If he honestly believes a woman thinking for herself makes her useless then he has a lot more than just growing up to do."

Sora couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across his face. Riku could be so cutthroat it was awesome. Leaning to look past his friend, he noticed that Hans' face was now starting to turn a kind of purpley color.

He wondered how many other hues they could get out of him before the day was over.

"Hurl abuse at me if you like, but it doesn't change the truth! Her purity is all that was important and she's tossed it aside just to have some shameful tryst with an orphan peasant boy."

Riku practically snarled. "The only thing shameful here is you. Who are you to judge anyone's worth based on birthright alone?"

"I don't care what you think! You are a traitor to the Gardens and the throne!"

"Everyone stop it!" Kairi's commanding voice once more rang out, and everything fell to silence.

She nodded briefly over towards the two knights next to her, mouthing a silent thank you before turning again to address the allegations being slung at her like mud.

"Not that it should even matter, but I want to establish something, at least." She marched over towards the prison warden, still standing in shock on the other side of the platform and snatched his water pouch from off the clip of his belt. The warden stuttered and blinked at the action, not sure why she was borrowing his canteen of all things.

Spinning back around on her heel, in one smooth motion she untwisted the cap of the pouch and poured the contents down onto her open palm. It took no time at all for the gentle trickle of water to light up and sparkle as it poured over her fingers. The bright stream shimmered, tumbling to the ground like falling silk.

"Sora has not stolen a thing from me. He has only made my light stronger."

And for the third time, Hans' face changed color. Or rather, drained completely of it.

"I-impossible...you can still..." His befuddlement didn't last long, and rage soon consumed him again. "Regardless! We still have a contract! I passed your test already! It has been writ and marked with the royal seal so I will still be-"

Kairi cut him off. "If I recall, the request and condition for my hand that I established at the ceremony was for the completion of an Adventurer's Trial. That you must finish a task that I deemed valuable. My initial request was to free my trapped memories. Then, when this was debated, I offered a secondary trial. But I never withdrew my primary request. You, Hans, were who I reluctantly awarded as completing my secondary task, but you most definitely were not the one who passed the first. As such, I consider the contract you speak of utterly void."

"You can't do that!" Hans spit in her direction, thankfully falling short. Wild-eyed, he spun to face Ienzo who was watching from the balcony with a distantly curious look on his face.

While he didn't seem emotionally involved, his face looked as intrigued as an average theater-goer staring contemplatively at the latest drama being performed on stage.

"Surely this isn't allowed!? It isn't true! I passed the test!"

Ienzo shrugged, held up a finger for silence and slowly ruffled through some pages of a massive tome.

"From what I can see...she is indeed correct in her recollection. As it is written in the records, she refused to withdraw her initial plea, and offered a secondary alternative."

Sora tried not to cheer out loud.

"However..." Ienzo continued, his eyes scanning the page intensely. "In the matter of the engagement contract being void...unfortunately the Duke is correct. It cannot be altered without express permission from the King."

That's...not good.

Hans smirked, but Kairi didn't look any less resolved.

"I don't care what it says. I refuse to do it. Father! Surely you don't agree with him? For once can't you at least see that maybe the rules are wrong!?"

All eyes locked on the still forlornly slumped figure of the king on his throne. Weakly, he clutched at the edge, his shaking fingers wrapping around the armrest like it was the only sturdy thing for him to cling to.

He slumped to the left, then sagged to the right like an unstable sack of potatoes someone had tried to balance upright but gave up half way, threw their hands in the air and said 'close enough'.

Sora wasn't sure how much hope he should have for the King to be reasonable, considering how hard-headed he had been about everything related to Kairi in the past, but he couldn't help but have that sliver of optimism inside.

"Your mother always told me the same. She said you were capable of so much more than the traditions had laid out for you. But I was...afraid."

His shivering face lifted itself up from his chest, and Sora was shocked to see genuine tears streaking across it.

"I thought if you were allowed to follow that spirited heart of yours that it would only lead you to the same ruin as her. I only ever implemented the rules so harshly after that because I never wanted you to be as lambasted as her memory. I pushed my own beloved daughter away, watched her grow from afar, all because I thought it would protect her."

Straightening on his throne ever so slightly, he gestured for Ienzo to hand him the previously signed writ in question. He glared at it for a moment, before lifting it up to display to everyone in the courtyard below.

"It seems those efforts were all folly. This decree is only a reminder of how misguided I've been."

The King's eyes bore straight into him, but Sora dared not look away, not even for a second.

"Despite my efforts she instead chooses a boy so utterly defiant to the law that he would dare call me a...Ienzo, what was it that he shouted back at me on the day we began the engagement proceedings?"

Ienzo sighed heavily. "He called you a sour pickle, sire."

"Indeed."

Cringing, Sora vaguely recalled doing that. But it was for a good reason! Kairi had been really upset and her father wasn't listening to her at all...

"It was my first exposure to a rebellious and defiant streak that he has repeated time and time again, even as it took him directly to the gallows. Never in my life have I seen such absolute loyalty."

Wait...was that...a compliment?

"Following her heart, my daughter has not been greeted with scorn and disdain as I had feared, but has been welcomed with devotion and respect. It is obvious that I was mistaken. I cannot possibly repair the damage that has been done, but I will not impose my error any further."

In his very first act of defiance of his own rules, with vigorous rage, the King ripped the ceremonial writ to pieces.

"To the Galbadian Duke who wished to become King, kindly leave my daughter alone. Your presence is no longer welcome."

But he wasn't yet done. He reached up and similarly tore the royal crown from off his head, clenching it with shaking hands. Sora wasn't sure how delicate the thing was, and was actually a little concerned it would be crushed beneath his trembling grip.

"Kairi. You have grown into everything you need to be. May my last act as King be something worthy of being a father."

He extended his arm and without a moment of hesitation released the very symbol of his power. It clattered to the ground, the sound of metal upon stone echoing down to the courtyard below.

It bounced, clanged, rattled, and fell quiet.

Tears streaked down Kairi's face as she focused up at the face that had brought her so much abject terror for so many years. And while everyone else was staring horrified at the empty place on the King's head, she was absolutely glowing.

"Y-you called me..."

"With this, I abdicate my power. When you choose to take up the crown for yourself, my daughter, I look forward to seeing what future you bring."

* * *

With shaking hands, Namine nervously lifted up her sketch paper for everyone else to see. "It isn't very good, but..."

It was her first drawing that she could really claim as her own. The first one that wasn't scrawled by fever dreams, with the nightmares pulling her hand across the page.

Kairi leaned forward to get a closer look. It was a bit childish, certainly, but every shaky streak of color breaking free from the lines had a spirit to it that almost made the smiling faces of the figures depicted somehow even more genuine.

"I love it." Even though it was just a rough sketch of them all sitting under a tree by the sunflower field, it made her feel calm just looking at it. "It's a new beginning."

It was subtle, but she definitely felt Sora's hand giving her own a slight squeeze as she spoke.

Riku nodded his approval silently, and relaxed back into his chair, looking quite comfortable against the cushions. While Sora also seemed just as happy to see her artwork, there was a twinge of regret still lingering behind his eyes.

"Namine...I'm really looking forward to seeing more of your drawings." He gave Kairi's hand another soft pulse. "I...I'm really sorry it took so long to help you and I can't thank you eno-"

"It's all in the past now." Namine lowered her art back down to the table and lightly prodded one of her pastels, rolling it back and forth across the tabletop. "Besides, I can't remember any of it even if I try. It's like I've been asleep this whole time. And if I close my eyes..."

She followed through with the action, contemplating her next words in silence.

"In the darkness I vaguely remember the feelings. Like it was all nothing but a dream. At the very least I remember that you, Sora, were like a spot of sunshine among that emptiness. So please don't apologize."

He gaped a little at her words before once more retrieving his relieved smile from where it had been hiding.

"You're right. We are all here, so let's make something great out of the future."

"Um...speaking of everyone..." Kairi interjected, glancing about the small room. The walls that were once littered with horrific drawings had been triumphantly all torn down, leaving nothing but shreds behind, still pinned up under the small silver tacks once fastening them up. But there was no sign of the former general, or the mysteriously magical woman who had helped set their memories right.

"Are Ellone and Beatrix-"

"Oh!" Anticipating her question, her cousin gestured gracefully back down the hallway towards one of the adjacent rooms. "Yes, they are both back there. Ellone still needs her rest, but also has been trying to eat a little something every few hours to get her strength back."

Sora sprung up out of his chair, his concern obviously trumping his previous relief. In doing so, he unconsciously released Kairi's hand from his grasp and she felt a sorrowful pang at the sudden cold emptiness his departure left behind.

"Is she going to be alright?" Sora rushed over to anxiously peek around the corner into the room as long as he was able before Beatrix shooed him away from the doorway. In her hand was clenched a dirtied bowl of soup, picked clean.

"Deep in slumber now, but considering her condition it is no surprise. Just leave her be for now."

"R-right..."

Sora shuffled backwards to allow the general to pass, giving a short worried glance back at the shut door next to him before following her to the main room.

Beatrix turned a pointed look over towards the tired group gathered at the table. "And speaking of resting..."

Everyone had been through quite an ordeal, and it was starting to show as the evening hours grew later. There was also still so much that hadn't yet been resolved. Despite the excited hum of change in the air, the adrenaline was starting to wear thin. Namine first relented to the suggestion with a nod.

"I know everything is still up in chaos. There are plenty of rooms in this wing, so if any of you would like to stay here please feel free."

Namine placed her hands on the table to steady herself as she tried to rise up to her feet. Beatrix rushed over to help, but she was rejected with a stern shake of the blond's head.

"I can do it."

Her arms were shaking with exertion, her legs trembling just the same. It took her a while and obvious effort to straighten, but she eventually managed. Namine's face was flushed with joy at the simple action and Kairi couldn't help but feel fluttering pride in her cousin and everything she had managed to struggle through.

So proud that she couldn't help it, and rushed to give her cousin a quick embrace. Kairi still only had a handful of hugs to compare it to, but Namine was certainly different. Her body felt so thin and frail that it was tear-wrenching. All she wanted to do was donate some warmth, even for a moment. Given time, she knew it would all be okay. With Beatrix to help her, that was almost assured.

"Tomorrow, let's go out into the flower fields. Just like in your picture."

Sighing into the hug, she could feel her cousin nodding against her shoulder.

"I would really like that."

And soon thereafter, the room was down to just three. Riku looked like he was nearly about to nod off in his chair, which was sweet in its own way. She had never really seen him look tired before, or let much of his guard down, really. It was as if he was finally feeling comfortable enough now around her to shed those last few walls of formality he had built around himself.

She glanced back over at Sora who was anxiously tapping the tip of his boot against the floor and shifting around as if he wasn't quite sure if he should stand, sit, stay where he was, or go back over to her.

But one thing was quite clear.

"Everything is going to be different now, isn't it?"

Riku scoffed a bit from the chair, leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "That's an understatement. It's strange being able to drop all these pretenses that have been practically hammered into our heads since forever."

"Pretenses? You mean taboo things like this?"

She rushed over and gave him a quick little squeeze around the arm and he nearly choked in surprise, wobbling in the chair.

That definitely wasn't going to get old fast.

Finally recovering, Riku rolled his eyes and sighed, trying not to smile at her impulsiveness. "Yes, that."

Beaming, Sora continued tapping his toe on the floor anxiously. "So, uh...I guess I already got my hug earlier, huh?"

Still riding high on excitement, Kairi stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. "Trust me, I've barely even gotten started with you."

He immediately flushed and started to fidget with his sleeve as if now he couldn't figure out where to even put his arms. "Y-you haven't...w-what, uh...what were you planning, then?"

Groaning, Riku covered his eyes with his hand. "Seriously?"

Lifting himself up out of the chair, he strode over to give Sora a hearty thump on the shoulder and cast a cautionary eyebrow raise at Kairi as well. "You two better watch it. Am I going to have to babysit you both constantly from here on out?"

"Maybe just a little..." Still giggling, she lightly pranced over close to Sora's stammering form and reached up to finally brush her fingers through those bouncy spikes of hair. They were just as flouncy as she thought they would be. She gave them another flick and couldn't stop smiling. Oh, so satisfying.

Sora, meanwhile, looked as if his mind was spluttering on and off like a fire about to fizzle out completely. He kept trying to formulate a sentence but was tripping himself up every time, only managing a constant, goofy smile amid his jabbering. From only his words, or lack thereof, she wouldn't have been able to understand much, but the look of his face matched with his ever deepening blushing told a very different story.

He definitely liked it.

"Ugh..." Riku coughed and spun to face the other direction. "Any more of this and I swear I'm out of here."

Paying his words little heed, she relaxed forward against Sora, resting her arms up over his shoulders. The feel of him against her skin tickled slightly and she soaked the sensation up eagerly.

"There is still so much I want to ask. I want to know everything."

Sora's eyes were absolutely locked on hers and he nodded back to her as if mesmerized. "Y-yeah, of course."

It was wonderful not to hear Riku protest about her curiosity, either. Still excited at the very notion of learning all the secrets that had been long kept from her, she practically skipped as she grabbed both of her knights by the hands and dragged them back towards the back balcony overlooking the flower fields.

She had no idea what time it was now but it was late enough in the evening that the cicadas had long since quieted down and the stars and moon shown at them with such brilliance that they almost illuminated the shadows of the sunflowers lightly swaying in the summer breeze. As dry as the grass was now from the lack of rain, she lead them over to the greenest patch of it and dropped right down onto her back to stare at the sky above, urging them to lay next to her.

Sora flopped himself down without pause, but Riku resisted slightly, glancing back over towards the room they had just come from.

"Look, I appreciate the invitation but I feel like the two of you have a lot more you need to square away with each other that doesn't involve me. So I think I'm going to-"

One look at her pouting face and he cut himself off, sighing. "You'll be up all night trying to learn it all now. Don't be in such a hurry; you have time."

The pat on her shoulder he gave her was surprisingly much weightier than she anticipated and she nearly tipped off balance from it. There was some serious strength behind those arms of his and she almost started to feel bad now for all the times he had playfully knocked Sora around without nearly as much restraint. It must have hurt!

But the thought also made her realize that Riku was finally starting to treat her the way she had always wanted to be: just like anyone else. Like a friend. The thought alone made keeping a guilt-inducing frown on her face impossible. Being able to experience such a brotherly gesture was...touching.

"You're trying to escape, aren't you?"

Chuckling, he gestured to the drawing room with his thumb. "Nah. If you need me I'll be back there."

He then gave Sora a thin smirk. "And _you_. Behave. If I hear anything suspicious… you'd better get ready to start running."

Sora groaned and flopped onto the crunchy grass. "You're awful."

Ignoring his friend's irritation, he gave Kairi a playful wink. "Keep an eye on him. If he starts getting too fresh just give me a shout."

"Stooop..." Trying to cover up his rapidly reddening face, Sora slapped his hands over his eyes.

As he wandered back to the room, Riku offered a lazy wave and one final warning, mixed in with his laughter. "Be good!"

In an attempt to make the bundle of embarrassment next to her feel a little better, she brushed at his hair once more, gently tugging at the tips of a few spikes. From under his hands, despite his protesting, she could see a pleased smile peeking out.

"Sora, you didn't mind staying up a bit more to talk, did you? If you're too tired..."

"Of course not!" He shook his head back and forth rapidly, his unruly hair glancing against her arm and it lightly tickled, eliciting a soft giggle from her as she tried to bat it away.

With his face now uncovered, she saw quite a mischievous grin now focused up at her. "You know, I just had a thought."

"Hmm?"

"I bet you're still really ticklish."

He was up to something alright, but she willingly waltzed right into it. She curled the edge of her lips into a slightly coy, knowing smirk.

"Oh? I wouldn't know..."

"Guess we'll have to find out."

Barely, just barely with the lightest touch, he walked his fingers up the side of her arm and she shivered, feeling the light giggle-inducing prickles spread across her skin until they became too unbearable to stand. Squirming, she was torn between wanting to escape the feeling lightly assaulting her, and not wanting to pull away from his touch.

Biting down her her lower lip, she twisted a bit to try and lessen the sensation but eventually couldn't choke down her laughter any longer.

"You'd better stop. I can call Riku over _any_ time you know."

"Uh-huh. But you won't."

There he was, being Mr. Snarky now. He was right, though.

Still not letting up on his playful touches, she finally folded into a submission of giggles, snuggling into his chest with a contented sigh. And what were once tickling motions turned into gentle comforting strokes up and down the backs of her arms.

Having him there was so indescribably wonderful.

"Um, one thing I really need to know...how did you get out of that awful sewer after we were separated? In my memory I s-saw...if I didn't know you made it out I would have sworn you were a-already..."

Despite it being so long ago, the memory was still so fresh to her, and she felt tears slightly welling in the corners of her eyes. Kairi lifted herself up so she could properly wipe away at them with shaking fingers.

Sitting up himself, Sora reached out to her with a comforting hug. He held her close and she refused to resist in the slightest, letting his warmth wash over her.

"Hey, don't worry! It all worked out, right? Though...I couldn't have made it out of there if you hadn't helped me. Your light gave me a lot of strength and hope even when there wasn't much else left. Oh, and my cat friend helped me out too."

She pulled back slightly to stare at him. "Cat...friend?"

His expression made it obvious he wasn't joking. He gave her a serious nod back.

"Yeah. I was still stuck in that dumb cage thing but I made friends with a stray cat after he ended up stuck down there too. We kept each other warm in the dark. Helped each other look out for angry rats together and he would sometimes sneak me a bit of food and stuff. That was before Riku's dad actually found me in-"

"Wait, you don't think..." A very strange thought just occurred to her and she furrowed her brow intensely. "Sora, what did your cat friend look like?"

"Dark gray with this one ear that was kinda bent to the-"

She cut him off again, her heart pounding. "With one foot more black than the others?"

He pondered this for a moment, trying to remember. "I...guess so? It was kinda dark, so I never really got a good look at him. Besides, I lost track of him aft-"

Bursting into sudden laughter, she smacked him on the shoulder. "You are serious, aren't you!?"

Sora blinked back, rubbing lightly at the place she had bopped him, baffled. "Y-yeah, why?"

"Don't you realize what that means? This whole time I should have just listened to my grumpy old cat! I _knew_ there was a reason he liked you!"

To think, that the ever persnickety Doc Berlioz, destroyer of carpets and harbinger of nightmares for every maid in the castle, had actually not only been a friend of Sora's, but a reason he survived such an ordeal as a child. If only pets could talk. It certainly explained all those times he had given the feline playful scritches and received not a single wayward claw in exchange.

Kairi slapped her own forehead, sighing out an exhausted laugh. "Unbelievable. You knew my cat before me."

The situation finally clicked in his head and he gaped back. "Wait, really? It's the same cat? How do you know that?"

"Berlioz was a stray that wandered in after Darkfall. He had an injured ear with a slight bend to it that he's mostly grown out of now but was much more obvious when he was younger. So the description matches. Plus, that little prissy cat is always angry at anyone he doesn't know and you were able to walk straight up to him and scoop him up without thinking about it. How else could you explain that?"

Sora hummed a bit in thought before nodding. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Grinning now, he stretched satisfactorily towards the sky. "Well that makes me happy knowing he ended up in such good care. After all those years I spent looking around for him, turns out he was with you the whole time. Maybe..." His smile broadened. "Maybe he was helping me out. Keeping an eye on you for me."

"Oh, stop it. That's too much. I was the one babying him the whole time."

She twirled a bit of her hair around her finger suddenly feeling quite guilty for all the extra treats and poor behavior she hadn't bothered correcting over the years. Certainly not a good display of model cat parenting.

"Sorry I spoiled him."

For some reason Sora found her statement inordinately funny, even though she was _trying_ to apologize. At least he wasn't angry about it.

She slumped her head forward and flicked at the grass around her ankles.

"It is a bit ridiculous though. All I know just keeps getting turned on its head. It's like everything around me is a lie."

"Hey, don't say that!" Sora reached for her and after brief hesitation, pushed a few strands of her bangs across her forehead so he could stare into her eyes more clearly.

"I'm real, aren't I?"

The little touches of warmth from the ends of his fingertips on her face elicited such a pounding thumping in her heart that she felt like nothing more than an instrument that he was so easily able to make sing with only the slightest effort. She had always thought her heart was far more complicated than that, but perhaps it really wasn't. Not to him, at least.

Her forehead, from her ear tips to her lobes, the nape of her neck: so many places she had never felt the intimate touch of anyone's skin against hers that she yearned to finally experience, and he was wordlessly offering. As he traced his fingers across her, she shivered in the absolute pleasure of it all. His presence was undeniable.

"More than anything."

She only wanted him closer, and the light caresses of his hand were teasing her unbearably. Unable to wait any longer, she wiggled closer towards his chest and nuzzled herself into the soft crook of his neck. She felt him gulp and shiver, clearly also affected by her presence. It was a little empowering to think that she could make someone so strong suddenly flounder just as he had been doing to her.

She loved it.

Before she could relish her position too much, she felt his strong grip pulling her in and her breath was left behind. She heard him humming happily and, as if acting on sheer impulse, she felt him lean back just enough to press his lips against her forehead.

But he didn't linger. As suddenly as it had happened, he once more seized her shoulders to draw her back into the same tight embrace from before.

Eyes widening, she trembled against him. Her mind raced as it tried to process what had passed in just the last moment.

"D-did you—was that a kiss?"

"H-hu...ah..." As if only just realizing what he had done, Sora panicked and relaxed his grip on her shoulders. "I w-wasn't thinking! I'm sorry I dunno why I just-"

"Could you...do it again?" Her voice quivered, barely a whisper. "Please?"

His face lit up like she had uttered some magical password. Gently reaching out to lift her chin, he grinned and planted yet one more kiss on the side of her cheek, just next to her ear. Unlike before, he lingered slightly longer, his breath hot against her skin.

A steadily growing pulse began to beat stronger and stronger within her, warming her from her core outwards. A passionate heat that flickered all the way to the furthest ends of her fingertips. She wanted more.

"Sora…"

While he hadn't changed much since he was young, there was something...markedly different now than the childish pecks on the cheek they had experienced before. It was the same action, but more profound. Like the real meaning behind the gesture finally made more sense than it used to.

"I'm glad you're here." A tempting thought passed through her head and she couldn't help but smile. "And now that I think about it, I never gave you a reward for saving me."

He leaned back a little, clearly confused. "Reward? Where's that coming from? I don't need a-"

Shushing him quickly by pressing a finger over his mouth she gave him a playful wink. "It's how the faerie tales are supposed to go. You completed the special task requested by the princess. So you get to choose a reward and I'll give it, no matter what."

She released her finger with another tiny coy smile, hoping he would understand and read between the lines. Furrowing his brow for a moment, he contemplated her words with a slightly puzzled look before finally speaking up.

"I thought you didn't like traditions."

"Y-yes, well..." She couldn't quite tell if he simply wasn't getting what she was trying to imply or if he was just trying to be playful with her. Did he really need her to come right out and say it? "Just this once it's okay."

"But didn't I already decide? You didn't forget your promise to come rainbow hunting with me, did you?" He grinned back at her and she honestly still couldn't tell his motives. Was this boy _trying_ to play hard to get?

"Of course I didn't forget that. So...um, in that case you get two rewards, then."

He hummed a bit and tipped his head to the side, still smiling. "I don't think that's how it works."

"Since when did you start caring about what the rules have to say, hmm?" Leaning as close as she could, she gazed up at him, hoping her eyes could do the talking for her. She fluttered them sweetly.

"What is the _one_ thing your heart wants _right now_?"

She accented each word slowly, making sure he could feel her breath on him. Slight cracks started to form in his carefree demeanor, as she saw color start to rise back up into his face.

He swallowed.

"I-I uh..."

"Please? Be honest..." She giggled, making sure to _accidentally_ brush her fingers against his in the grass. If he had been trying to tease her earlier, she was going to make sure to dish it back to him tenfold.

He was definitely trembling, his gaze trapped under her spell despite the rapid flushing of his cheeks.

"K-Kairi..."

It still felt wonderful to hear him use her name. And this time the almost winded way it tumbled from his lips only made her heart flutter even more.

"Mm?"

She could feel his hand gripping the side of her shoulder. His thumb began tracing tiny circles along the sensitive inner skin of it, lightly tickling her again and her whole body hummed. "I really want to say, but..."

Oh? Was her little rule breaker getting cold feet now? That certainly wouldn't do.

"But what?"

He sighed and rubbed at the side of his neck with a half-hidden smile. "Well...I'm really not looking forward to having Riku chase me down with a bucket of water or something."

It would be adorable if his delay wasn't teasing her something horrible.

"But that's what I've been trying to tell you! I'm offering you a special reward. No one could possibly complain about that. And if they _do_ give you a hard time..."

She lowered her voice to barely a whisper, and leaned in close to his ear, letting her lower lip just barely brush against it. "I'll just have to kiss it all better."

He gulped again and she pulled back to where he could see her. Tauntingly moistening her lips, then giving them a tender bite, she was doing everything in her power to weaken him.

And it was clearly working. She could feel his breathing, still warm and sweet against her, start to quicken.

"If you keep this up I'm not sure I can hold back any more."

"Then don't-"

Kairi had once heard of a legend of a flower so rare that it would only bloom under the light of the moon, in the presence of love so sweet it could coax the petals out from their slumber. Pondering it, she always wondered how such a thing, if it existed, could have evaded confirmation for so long and still remain only a legend.

Now she seemed quite sure of the answer. The simple truth was, anyone meeting the right conditions to see such a bloom would simply be far too distracted to ever even notice it was there.

* * *

She cuddled up against his shoulder, loving the weight of his arms around her back as she lay across him.

"To think...this was supposed to be my wedding night. I'm glad I can spend it with much better company instead."

Chuckling in response, he gave a playful shrug back at her. "You mean that firefly over there? I agree, he's good company. Great dancer."

Ugh, such eye-roll inducing banter. He had a knack for that. And even though he was snarky sometimes it was a nice complement to his unending sweetness. She bopped him on the nose.

"You goof."

She wanted nothing more than to keep talking. To have time freeze still for them to finish all that they needed to say. But as the hour grew later, her vision began to drowsily blur. She did her best to stifle a yawn. Surely soon they would have to head back inside. Say goodnight. Separate.

Such a horrible notion.

"I can't help but remember all the nights we used to spend like this. Sleeping on the ground, looking up at the stars." She snuggled back down to the little space into his neck that she found to be so utterly comfortable earlier, wanting to delay their inevitable parting.

"I don't want you to leave me ever again. Not even for one night. Can we just stay like this? Fall asleep right here?"

To her relief, he didn't argue at all. He clutched her close and laughed in that wonderful cheery way she had grown to love.

"I think...I'd like that too."

Like a lazy butterfly, she fluttered in and out of the realm of dreams, her only anchor to reality was the steady thumping beat of his heart under her ear. Whenever the sound of it escaped her, she clutched for him, mumbling in barely discernible phrases for him to remain close by her side, no matter what.

As the embrace of sleep pulled her in, with his warmth all around her, she heard his voice softly whispering in her ear.

"I'm staying right here. I promise."

* * *

Morning came with a thick rolling fog, and heavy overcast that obscured the dawn sun as it peaked beyond the distant horizon. While the evening had been so wonderful, the morning felt strangely ominous. Kairi glanced up at the heavy cloud cover and shivered, trying to suppress the feeling of dread that was sweeping over her. What could it possibly be that had made her so uneasy? Just to reassure herself, she snuggled back down against Sora as he continued to doze.

"Mmnnuning?" He tried mumbling something in his barely conscious slumber but the meaning wasn't entirely clear.

While she wanted to give him an answer she wasn't sure what to say. So instead, she gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

He grinned, eyes still closed, and uttered more sweet nothingness in his stupor. How was he so impossibly cute all the time? She was a little glad he was still asleep because it allowed her to stare all she wanted without having to properly explain herself.

"Finally awake?"

She nearly yelped but managed to catch herself at the last moment, clamping a hand down over her mouth. Embarrassment washed over her, particularly as she realized she had no idea how long Riku had been leaning up against the wall watching. He really had a frustrating tendency to sneak up on her.

"Good morning..."

He tipped his head. "And presumably was a good night for you two, I take it."

"You're...not upset?" She asked hopefully, keeping her eyes downcast and bracing herself for the answer. At least it didn't look like he had brought any buckets with him.

"Depends."

 _Uh-oh._

He crossed his arms. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, of course I-"

"Then, no."

She relaxed back with a sigh. It was like he enjoyed getting her worked up just as much as he liked sneaking.

Sora moaned slightly at the noise and shifted, rolling a bit onto his side and reaching lazily out, only stopping when he bumped into her. She let him wrest control over her own arm which he eagerly cuddled close to his body. Even though it seemed to be a conscious action, judging from his breathing he was still quite deeply asleep.

Not hiding his smirk in the slightest, Riku turned to head back inside. "Either way, wake that lump up and let's get some breakfast. It's probably going to be a busy day."

"Wait, um...I wanted to ask. This morning, do you also feel..."

"Feel what?"

"...uneasy?"

He tipped his head towards the heavy cloud cover for a moment, pondering. "Yeah. But we can discuss it later."

It took a bit of effort for her to rouse Sora from his slumber and regain control of her own arm, but the moment he was awake enough to realize he had stolen it from her he released it in a panic, apologizing.

"It's okay. If it gives you nice dreams I'll lend it any time."

Sora sighed and itched at the back of his head, embarrassed but clearly happy. "Well...I dunno if it's because of that, but I definitely had the best sleep I've had in a long time."

"Mm-hmm..."

She knew that breakfast was waiting, but maybe it would be okay to hold out just a tiny bit longer. Kairi wasn't quite ready to let this moment pass.

When the two of them finally made it back into the drawing room, everyone, including Ellone, were already seated at the table munching on a few simple breakfast offerings. Kairi tried to greet the sorceress, but she was staring absolutely transfixed out the window and seemed unaware of anyone's presence. She felt a twinge of bashfulness realizing that she might have been able to see her and Sora giving each other their morning...greetings.

"She's been like that since dawn, quietly talking to herself. Something about seeds sprouting." Beatrix's response was concise like always, and also made no mention of anything being particularly out of the ordinary. Or maybe the former general had just decided to file the whole situation away in her 'not my business' folder.

While Ellone was looking much better than when they had first met, Kairi was still concerned at her overly gaunt appearance. It would take time for her to heal, naturally, but it was still painful to see.

Sora also gave Namine a warm morning greeting, not looking the least bit anxious that anyone had been spying on the two of them outside or possibly gossiping about what had happened last night. Cheerily, he went over to the window next to Ellone's chair.

"What are you looking at?"

The fog made it quite hard to see too far, but he tried to squint out into it anyway. Kairi expected that he would eventually give up and come to join everyone else at the table, but after a minute when he didn't show signs of coming over she glanced back to see what was wrong.

"...Sora?"

"I think something...kinda human-shaped is out there."

Riku reacted first, joining his friend at the window, sweeping the curtain to the side to get a better look.

"He's right. Looks like whoever it is is walking this way."

Feeling the dread in the pit of her stomach grow heavier, Kairi slowly rose from her seat to go check herself. Steadily, details in the figure in the distance began to fill in. It was definitely male, dressed in a castle knight uniform but that was all she could make out before she heard Sora exclaim next to her.

"Oh!" To her absolute surprise, Sora suddenly burst into a wide smile and charged towards the door. "I don't believe it! He's gonna be so excited when I tell him!"

She rushed after him, grabbing for his hand before he could dart off into the foggy garden beyond. "Wait a minute! Who-"

"It's okay! He's a friend of mine."

That didn't tell her too much. Sora was friends with just about everyone. But taking his word for it, she released his hand and let him run towards the figure slowly approaching from the garden.

The closer he walked, the more details in his face she could discern. Something was vaguely familiar about the scowling face set under the dirtied blond hair. She must have seen him somewhere before, but couldn't place where.

However, something confused and alarmed her even more than not knowing where she had met him. There was a growing sense of impending dread that seemed attached to the blond's shoulders. Like a parasite, clinging to his back. The closer he strode to her, the more she wanted to back away. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream out for Sora to stay away from him. She clung to the edge of the door frame, watching.

Her voice nervously squeaked in her throat and she swallowed.

 _Calm down. They're friends. ...right?_

"Seifer!"

Sora raced over, but his friend didn't even change his pace as he continued his slow steady march towards the room. In fact, he barely even seemed to register he was there at all. Seifer was only staring hypnotically at the doorway. Towards her.

It wasn't until Sora stepped right in front of him to block his way that the other knight finally flicked his eyes over in his direction and huffed.

"Hey, so I dunno what you are here for but there's actually something really important I need to tell you. It's abo-"

"Move."

Sora laughed, somehow not bothered by the markedly unfriendly remarks directed towards him. "Yeah? Well good morning to you too!"

"Shut up."

The raw aggressiveness in his voice made Sora falter slightly. "Er, I would, but this is important. While you were gone on leave a lot of stuff happened, and..."

Seifer's face twisted in irritation and he shoved him forcefully out of the way to continue on towards the door. Possibly realizing that droning out a whole soliloquy in the garden first thing in the morning wasn't going to work, Sora decided just to shout out after him.

"It's about your sister! Ellone is alive."

 _Wait, what?_

She knew Ellone had a brother, but she had no idea he was a knight. Let alone someone Sora actually knew.

Just like her, Seifer immediately froze still. " _What_ did you just say?"

"She's...Ellone is here. She's right in there and-"

Stomping his foot into the grass, Seifer snapped his head to glare directly back at him. "And you expect me to believe that? Honestly?"

Sora pointed over towards the window where Ellone could still be seen staring out from the other side. "I know it sounds kind of impossible, but go look for yourself."

Starting his forward march again, Seifer approached the door and Kairi scrambled to get out of the way, feeling an intense urge to vomit. She hadn't felt this sick since her day terrors, but surely she should be long past those now. Everything felt heavy and light at the same time.

Worried, Sora walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. It was a welcome anchor.

"What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, she just shook her head and kept her eyes fixated on Seifer who was now staring intensely at the sorceress by the window. Not sure what else to do, Sora gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she cuddled up against his arm, trembling slightly.

Something had her really spooked. Maybe she was just nervous for Ellone's sake? She honestly didn't know what was going on within her heart right now.

She didn't know much about this other knight or his history, and she had no idea how much he had missed of the previous days events, but at the very least she expected him to have a few questions.

What she didn't expect was for Seifer to burst into laughter, doubling over, gasping for air.

While it could have been in his personality to do such a thing, judging by the stunned reactions of everyone else in the room, she figured that wasn't very likely.

Beatrix was also starting to look increasingly uncomfortable herself, and shifted over to stand closer to Namine, who was blinking in confusion over a bowl of porridge.

Ellone wasn't even reacting to her long lost brother. She kept staring out the window, eyes wide.

"Sprouting seeds, roots running deep...corruption lingers, no longer asleep..."

What was going on this morning? The air was saturated with ominous heaviness, like before a storm. A thick layer of silence, cut through with the sound of twisted howling laughter, bouncing off the walls. Everyone watched, stunned, as the knight worked himself up so hysterically he was almost in tears.

When he had finally recovered enough, Seifer smacked his hand down hard on the table nearby. "What a joke."

Still mostly speechless, Sora tried his best to respond. "It's not a-"

Seifer's mood immediately snapped. Snarling, the knight grabbed for the end of a nearby empty chair and ripped it backwards, sending it clattering to the floor.

"That _thing_ is not my sister."

Kairi gasped, clamping her one free hand down over her mouth. The other she kept clutching onto Sora's arm, petrified. Similar astonishment swept though everyone else in the room.

It made sense for Seifer to be confused, even doubtful, but to say something so...hurtful, so _cruel_. She shook, desperately suppressing the urge to shout back.

Sora took the initiative, his voice barely a croak. "Y-you...you can't mean that. She's been through so much and I know it's hard to see but surely your heart can recognize her? Maybe just try talking to her."

His kind suggestion was met with a cold stare. Then, Kairi watched the knight's eyes slowly shift down and to the left, settling on her for a moment before twitching back to Sora.

"Do you remember what I told you? My purpose is to defend true justice, no matter who I must fight. No matter what I must do. I won't let anything get in my way. Not _anything_."

There was something different and purely frightening in the rage that burned in his expression as he focused down on their clasped hands. "And I see you are just as careless as I predicted."

"A-about this..." Sora dipped his head towards her, lifting their hands up a bit sheepishly. "If you give us a chance to explain, we can fill you in on all the details. But the Gardens are gonna be oka-"

"I seriously doubt that." There was a dark shadow in his smile, that reminded her a bit of the scheming expression she had seen all the time with Hans.

Sora tipped his head to the side, baffled. "Huh? What do you...are you okay? What's gotten into you?"

"Oh, I'm _fine_." He cracked his knuckles and sneered, turning his attention back to her and taking a few steps forward. "Whatever is for the greater good. That's what you told me. Do you still stand by that?"

It took Kairi a moment to realize he was addressing her. "I, well...of course it is good to try and help as many people as possible, so-"

"Even if the greater good means someone has to die?"

It felt like a trick question. Kairi whinged on her answer, feeling the air grow heavier around her as he took yet another step.

She wanted to hide. She wanted to run.

 _...No._

She wasn't a pathetic girl anymore who was going to cower in the corner while others defended her. Even if it was dangerous, she wasn't going to flee from anything any more.

With a deep breath, she released Sora's arm, and took her own set of prideful steps towards the knight staring her down with a death glare.

"If I can save someone I will do whatever it takes, even if I must put my own life on the line to do so. I can't say much for hypothetical situations, but I know where my morals stand."

Seifer's smile was dark. Twisted. "Wonderful. I was hoping you would say that."

Like the bursting of a balloon all the air was suddenly expelled from her lungs. She couldn't even scream as she crashed to the floor, not even sure what had hit her. Kairi tried to sit back up, but a surge of pain ripped through her.

It felt like her blood itself was burning. What had he _done_ to her?

All she saw was him raise his arm and then...pain. The room melted around her as she struggled to breathe. She could vaguely hear commotion, and one voice in particular calling out to her.

"So...ra..."

She searched for him, but he was lost in the haze. Too many colors danced around in her vision, so many lights that made the world swim. In the back of her mind she could see it. She could see herself floating at the bottom of the pool of the temple. Why there of all places?

It felt like water was rushing into her lungs, drowning her.

Help.

It hurts.

Something kept pulling her down, below the surface, down, down, deep into a wide cavern filled with darkness that pulsed with malice, screeching at the sight of her. It quivered and clawed at her, digging into her body and ripping through, leaving nothing left.

She felt it all.

Stop, please...

In the back of her mind a voice, dark and full of hatred mockingly taunted her, calling her name, blocking her ears from everything else. It was a creeping thought intrusively peering into her brain, burrowing down into her despite her pleas.

' _Together, we must be. I am you and you are me.'_

 _Stop...leave me alone..._

 _'Reconnect it. Reconnect me. Reconnect us.'_

She writhed on the floor, unable to control her body. Something thick, almost sticky coiled its way around her, lifting her limp and prone body up into the air. Like a snake, it constricted and she choked, struggling to refocus her eyes. The first thing she saw was Seifer, sneering up at her and something that looked horrifyingly like a pool of blood beneath him.

Whose blood was it?

"W...wh..." As much as she tried to ask where everyone was, she couldn't speak. Her tongue was thick and heavy in her mouth.

Kairi tried to crane her neck to the side, struggling to at least locate them with her eyes. She had to know if they were unhurt, but she could barely move. An inky black vine was growing out of the knight's hand, holding her aloft and trapped in the air.

"There are so many liars out there in the world. So many selfish people who only care about whatever and whoever they can use for their own gain. That's all this farce of a kingdom was built upon. Lies. Deceit. Greed." The vines squeezed her more tightly and she moaned, unfamiliar with such pain.

"What would _really_ help everyone would be for every last one of those vermin to be eradicated. To raze their entire fake world to ash. To start over anew. And now not only are you the rat's queen but you've all but volunteered for the job."

Another tightening pulse of the vine left her crying out once more in agony. Not only was the physical pain intense, the hot burning feeling in her blood continued unabated.

"Can't you feel it calling you? It's time you gave back what you owe. Just consider me an overdue debt collector."

These vines...they were just like the ones in her memory. Just like the plants that had sprouted from those spiny black seeds. Why...how?

"This kingdom is nothing but lies, and I am ready for my true destiny. To bring true justice back to the world. Long live the queen."

His sneering face was all she could see. The only thing in focus in her steadily blackening vision.

"I'm sure you understand. It is for the greater good."

She weakly gasped, struggling. "S-stop this...please..."

His cold voice was the last thing she could hear before everything faded into darkness.

"It can't be stopped. It has already begun."

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Holidays! I had a very busy last month with lots of exams and such, but now that I am on vacation I was finally able to get my notes in order and finish this. Next chapter is already on the way and the story should be all wrapped up and finished soon. If everything goes according to plan there should be two chapters remaining.**

 **As always, I truly appreciate those who have stuck around with me. Seeing comments, even short ones, always makes me feel like it was all worthwhile.**

 **I know I have a lot to improve on, but I'll keep on trying.**

 **-A. Moth**


	20. Ch 20: Equal and Opposite

The loam beneath his boot crumbled, and what was once sure footing sent him skidding, thumping down the hill. He didn't even bother trying to clean up his trousers. They were already so full of stains and tears from stumbling about aimlessly in the woods for the last several hours that it wouldn't even make a difference any more. He yanked a thorn from out of the hem of his jacket and scowled, cupping his hands up around his mouth.

"Hey! Stray! You can come out now!"

His words echoed out across the dark forest. Apart from the rustling of some birds in the distance, nothing answered his call.

"You aren't dead, right!?"

Silence.

"I came back for you, so you can come out now. Just like I promised..."

An owl hooted in response before alighting from its hollow stump, startling him. And all at once it felt like the whole forest was glaring down on him, judging him.

They knew how much of a liar he was. The forest had seen it all.

It was getting harder to swallow back the lump in the back of his throat. All he could think about was that eager face, gazing up at him wide-eyed and grinning.

 _"_ _Wow! You mean you play in the dark woods all the time!? You sure are strong, Riku!"_

 _"_ _Told you so_ _, Stray_ _. And_ _now you gotta prove_ _yourself_ _. Go over to that stump and stand facing it_ _."_

 _"Like this?"_

 _"Yeah. You need to stay by that stump and count to...a hundred while I go hide. If you can wait here by yourself without getting scared and running home like a chicken, then you pass. Let's see how brave and strong you are. Once I decide you've done that, I'll...er, give you a special friendship present and then we can go home together."_

 _"_ _Riku..." The faintest hint of apprehension passed over those bright blue eyes. "_ _I dunno about this._ _I wanna_ _stay_ _with you..."_

 _"What, are you g_ _iving up already? You s_ _cared of the dark or something?"_

 _"N-no! I_ _t's..._ _it's not good to be_ _alone._ _"_ _He sniffled a little, trying to hold back tears. "_ _I don't wanna lose you._ _"_

 _"_ _Don't be a baby._ _I can handle myself. Besides, o_ _nly the_ _strong_ _est kid gets_ _my respect_ _._ _If you_ _really_ _want to be my friend you need to do this."_

 _"O-okay..."_ _He swiped at his running nose a few times, smearing his teary mess across the sleeve of his shirt._

 _It was pathetic._

 _"I'll come back_ _once you've proven yourself_ _. Don't you trust me?"_

 _"_ _Of course I trust you!" Resolve clenched his small fists_ _tight_ _. "I know you'll come back and I'll keep waiting until you do,_ _I promise!"_

 _"_ _Ye_ _p_ _. And_ _then_ _..._ _we'll be best friends_ _. For sure."_

A gnawing sense of dread crawled up along his back as he struggled to suppress the memory of that innocent and happy face, waving goodbye before remembering the instructions Riku had given him and eagerly clamping his hands down over his eyes to begin counting.

Riku muttered under his breath and swatted at a nearby overhanging branch before marching off to continue his search.

"Stupid kid. Stupid, stupid. This is all your fault!"

Something scampered in the distance and Riku swallowed. Everything in that eerie forest had seen what he had done.

Riku had left him there, never intending to come back at all. Walked away and abandoned him. Night after night that innocent kid had remained alone in the dark forest that no one ever dared to go into because of all the stories of the evil witch who lived within.

It was a foolproof plan, he had thought. Eventually the kid would realize Riku wasn't coming back, would understood he had been tricked and give up. A stray like him didn't deserve to even look upon a family of such status, let alone set foot into their home.

Riku didn't care what happened to him. That's what he had kept telling himself.

The kid was a clumsy idiot, but to his credit there was something weirdly remarkable about how he just kept trying. In the past no matter how many times Riku had tried to shake him, he followed without a complaint. Every day Riku had dragged him into the most dangerous or bustling areas he knew, no place for children to be, but the kid doggedly skipped along after him, laughing, thinking they were playing some game. Even when Riku raced ahead into the crowds and was sure the kid would get lost, he would somehow manage to always find his way back, always praising how fast Riku could run, or asking where they were going to play tomorrow.

Why didn't he just get it that Riku didn't want to associate with such a low class loser? Didn't he understand Riku wouldn't want anyone to ever think an unkempt urchin was his brother? It was almost like he took the statement 'you can't keep up so go away' as some sort of challenge to get better.

Every time Riku yelled at him to go away, he always tried to apologize in some way, always wanting to make things right again.

Clueless.

The day Riku had abandoned him at the stump, the entire way back home he kept casting his eyes over his shoulder, expecting to see the kid chasing after him with that same dopey smile on his face, saying they should play somewhere else tomorrow.

But the entire way back Riku remained alone.

That entire evening, Riku kept stealing glances out the window, still expecting him to come up dashing the neighborhood street like before.

By morning, the goofy little idiot still hadn't returned. He was finally alone, just like he had wanted. Things were silent once more. The house felt...chilly.

Trying to make himself feel better, Riku had marched over and snatched back the toasty fleece blanket his mom had forced him to give over from off the kid's bed, triumphant to finally reclaim it. Yet even snuggled down within that cozy fleece, he still felt unbearably cold.

Riku decided he must not like that blanket any more, and hurled it back onto the other bed. The kid could have it when he got back. It was a dumb blanket anyway.

More and more, Riku had found himself hovering over by the window wondering why this time was different. Why didn't that kid come back yet? Wasn't he the one always cheerfully chirping in that infuriating way that he wanted to stay by Riku's side because they were "friends"?

What a joke. There was no way that kid could ever be Riku's friend. No one ever had gotten to use that title before. Why would that idiot ever make the cut? Riku repeated over and over to himself how much he didn't care, his breath fogging up the window as he stared out into the empty street beyond.

As the days had slipped by without any sign of him, the late autumn nights growing more and more frigid, Riku felt the deep twisting in his stomach only growing worse.

He was missing for a nearly week before Riku couldn't take it any more. Clearly he had been too stupid to find his own way out of the woods and must have gotten lost.

Surely that was it.

Riku had stomped back into the dark of the forest to find whatever hole he had fallen into, ready to give him an earful about making everyone worry. Not knowing if the kid was even alright or if he was even still in the forest, Riku wandered aimlessly through the darkness, calling out, guilt eating him from the inside. He didn't like the kid, but he didn't want him _dead_. And so he found himself there still, wandering, reliving the past few days while he fruitlessly searched. As hard as he tried, Riku couldn't remember how to get back to that exact clearing with the stump.

"Stray! I know you can hear me!"

"My, my...looking for something?"

Reacting on instinct, Riku spun around while clutching his hand around the nearby tip of a particularly flexible branch, ready to let go and whip it at whoever was accosting him should they appear threatening.

When he caught a good look, he hesitated.

It was a particularly elegant looking woman, wearing a particularly classy and expensive looking dress. Particularly peculiar.

"...what's it to you?"

The thin line of her mouth curved into the slightest smile. "Defensive, aren't we? I could help you find what you're looking for if you only tell me."

A wave of dread swept over him, as if she was bearing invisible claws, reaching out towards him. He could flee. Or he could fight.

Riku strengthened his stance without a thought towards the unseen force pushing back against him. He had no interest in being a coward.

"None of your business!" He yanked the branch back further, threatening to release it in her direction.

The strange sweeping force scrutinizing him subsided a bit, and the woman sighed, glancing down to inspect her long immaculately painted nails.

"It's alright. I know your type quite well. I already know what you are seeking. What you are... _truly_ seeking. It's alright, you can trust me."

There was something warmly soothing about her voice, as if she was cooing a delightful lullaby. It was far different from the foreboding sense from before.

"You want to be strong, don't you? To show the world exactly how exemplary you are."

Riku relaxed, gently releasing the branch from his grip before he came to his senses and bristled again. There was no question in his mind who this bizarrely placed woman must be. He hastily drew the practice sword he always kept around his belt and raised it aloft. It wasn't the ideal weapon to fight someone like her, but it was going to have to do.

"You're the forest witch! I'm not falling for your tricks!"

"Oh, my...such anger inside you. Is that really what you take me for?"

He hesitated, but kept his sword aloft.

"Do you deny it!?"

"Of course some call me a witch but I am far more powerful than some dreary herbalist collecting mushrooms in a damp shack. My true status is greater than any common folk spreading those rumors could ever possibly comprehend. Surely one as observant as you can see that I am _so much more_ than a base... _witch_."

She nearly spat the word out, speaking of it with such derision that Riku, as stoic as he tried to make his face, shuddered to think of who or what he might actually be dealing with. He said nothing, only watched.

"You have such promise inside my dear, I can see it."

Despite his better judgment, Riku couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at her words. Maybe she wasn't really all that bad. Everyone had said she was a demon, but they all said she was a common witch, too. And that was already proven false.

"What is your name, boy?"

"...Riku. Morizaki. You should know my father is the most distinguished knight of the royal guard."

The mysterious woman's smile depend. "Ah, I knew you were well groomed. It shows. Not every boy would have the courage to stand up to me. Can I trust you with a secret of mine?"

While he knew she was purposefully laying the compliments on thick to gain his favor, Riku couldn't see any harm in just listening to what she had to say. He slowly nodded, keeping his senses alert for any signs of movement. After all, she had never claimed to be alone.

"A very, very long time ago. Far before these grand forests were even saplings I was the ruler of my own kingdom. I sought to pass on my knowledge, and took in a few apprentices of my own." Her eyes burned with emerald fire. "But they betrayed me. Decided they wanted to grow their own empire, using my knowledge for their own gain. And in order to prevent me from tearing their little castle project to smithereens, ended up doing something horrible to the very balance of this world. That doesn't seem fair, does it?"

She waited for him to nod in understanding before continuing.

"A silent one, aren't you? No doubt you like to think before speaking. So I want you to think very carefully about what I am about to reveal to you."

Holding out her hand, something bubbled up to the surface, dark and spiny like a sea urchin. She pinched it between her fingers then lifted it up to the light streaming from between the trees. It pulsed, uttering a faint, almost inhuman squeal and the light around it faded, as if sucked inside its inky maw. Riku stared, both fascinated and horrified at whatever plant or creature it could be.

"This is...think of it like a seed. Once planted, it grows in both form and strength. It is but a fragment of the heart of this very world. A great power indeed, should one be able to control it. But a seed like this needs a host to survive. A host strong enough to contain such a divine presence. In exchange, for giving it fertile soil, the seed will grant its user abilities beyond the imagination."

Riku had many questions, but sorted them all through his head and tried to pick the most important one first. "...its purpose?"

"To restore the world to its former glory."

He exhaled sharply, not feeling completely convinced. But...there was one part of him that fluttered a little at the thought of being someone that important.

"If it's so strong, why does it need a...host? Shouldn't it be able to do all this on its own? Seems pretty weak to me."

She toyed with it in her hand, sighing. "Yes, in it's current state it is weakened considerably. But consider yourself, Riku. As you are now, you undoubtedly are aware of things your current body is incapable of, yes? What of when you grow older? Do you not feel you have potentially limitless possibilities before you? If one such as you, who will undoubtedly become greatly powerful in your own right, became the host for this seed...imagine how much _more_ you could be."

"I would be...stronger than anyone?"

"Naturally."

A creature in the nearby brush took a step out into the clearing and immediately darted away, kicking up dirt and stones beneath its frantic paws. Riku didn't even notice, his eyes far too fixated on the pulsing black mass that was calling out to him in a temptingly sing-song voice.

 _Chosen one._

* * *

As brief and joyful as the life of a soap bubble, bouncing through a gentle summer breeze. The comfort of her presence, once just under his fingertips. Somehow, gone.

Her name and her smile were still the only things circling through the troubled whirlwind of hazy partial consciousness that he couldn't quite struggle himself out of. His eyes flickered open only briefly before he painfully slumped back into the realm of dreams.

For just one night, everything had been...

 _It was a peaceful quiet as they both gazed up at the streams of stars. Despite the somewhat scratchy crunch of dry grass underneath him, having her there, snuggled up close, was far more comfortable than anywhere else_ _he could've_ _hoped to be_ _._

 _Vaguely, he wondered exactly how late it had gotten. While he had figured he would still be up quite a while answering her questions, he hadn't expected...everything else. But it was certainly the best distraction he could have ever asked for, that much was for certain._ _He could have very happily just lived in that slice of time forever with her and never even noticed that the rest of the world around them had frozen still._

 _Warm and wonderful and sweet._

 _All it took was the_ _slightest brush of her breath and_ _she had him_ _absolutely flying._ _The memory of it_ _all_ _was still dancing up a storm_ _inside_ _, kicking up his heart into a frenzied race_ _the more it lingered_ _._

 _E_ _ven then,_ _h_ _e_ _somehow felt yawns threatening_ _,_ _as sleep_ _offered_ _to_ _carry_ _him away from that place._ _He didn't fight it too strongly;_ _safe in the knowledge that even in the world of dreams she would never really be that far away._

But he was wrong. She had been torn away from him.

This was nothing but a dream now.

What was once peaceful memories of happiness became a twisted shadow of fear looming behind him.

What had happened that morning!?

He needed to wake up.

Groaning under the sudden wash of pain that once more assaulted his consciousness, he tried to pull himself back to reality. Slowly, in front of his tired eyes, the faint image of a bare, leafless tree started to become more clear. It was twisted and had odd spikes jutting out across its surface. A very odd tree, all things considered. The more he stared at it, the more he realized there was still something...off about it.

 _Trees don't usually grow upside down...right?_

Sora squinted up at the upside down spiky tree with still-blurry vision, baffled. And why did everything hurt so much? He tried to reach up and rub his face but found his arms inexplicably not responding to him at all.

 _What...?_

He forced his mind to recall, now that it was in far less of a dreamy fog.

Screaming. He remembered the screaming.

Slowly, the pieces began to fall into line, the memory creeping back into focus just as slowly as his vision.

Seifer had shown up unexpectedly. But something had been really troubling him. Kairi had walked over and...before Sora had a chance to move or even react, she was thrown to the floor, crying out in pain. It didn't even look like anything had touched her; it was like the air itself had shoved her to the ground.

Everything was so suddenly nothing but panic that Sora couldn't even think. All he had been trying to do was reach Kairi as she lay gasping on the ground as if some immeasurable weight was pressing into her.

Just before he could reach her side, something ensnared him roughly around the middle and hurled him against the back wall, slamming all the air from his lungs. But instead of falling, whatever it was gripped him tighter and slid him higher up towards the ceiling. His already bruised body, still under so much strain from the ordeals of the last day, folded against his will. Despite his entire mind screaming to stay awake, whatever had its hold on him only squeezed harder and his vision threatened to fade completely into darkness.

He couldn't breathe.

Sora could barely hear himself as he called out for Riku to help Kairi, to get both her, Namine and Ellone as far from this place as possible. With his vision flickering in and out, it was hard to see if they were heeding his advice but he heard Namine's shrieking slowly fading as she was presumably rushed out of the room by her guardian.

He struggled to keep the encroaching darkness away, but he still couldn't breathe at all and the dark spots in his eyes kept growing. Maybe he had but a few seconds left before being overtaken completely. Vaguely, he remembered seeing his friend struggling to pull at some kind of vine-like thing sticking up out of the ground but because it had so much slimy goop dripping off of it, Riku seemed unable to grip it.

The last thing Sora saw was Ellone. She was standing quite still, right behind her brother, watching him with a distant gaze on her face.

Why had she not fled with Beatrix?

She was clutching at her side. There was blood on the floor. Why?

Sora didn't even know what was attacking them.

Everything fell to nothing.

Unwillingly, Sora had slumped down into unconsciousness. He had no idea for how long.

Now his head was throbbing painfully. The colors and shapes of everything were running together that it almost looked like a painter had just unleashed a massive temper tantrum on the world while he was asleep. Blinking repetitively, and with a slightly clearer mind, he tried looking up again towards the bizarre upside-down tree, only to get a solid splat of water in his face.

He reacted poorly, spluttering and trying to shake it off.

"It's about time you woke up."

It sounded like Seifer's voice. But darker. More cruel.

Finally now able to see a bit better, Sora glanced down at his arms to discover they were secured to his sides by a thick twisted vine, almost like he was in the grip of some gigantic ochu. Not only that, but he was dangling high up in the air, his legs kicking out at nothing.

He searched around where he was hanging as he searched for the source of the voice and made a grim discovery. Not only was he trapped, but from what he could see, both Kairi and Riku were being held aloft on their own separate shoots of vines as well.

At least they seemed uninjured. Kairi was slumped over, but was breathing deeply, still sleeping. Riku seemed just as unconscious, so it seemed a bit pointless trying to get his attention at the moment.

Sora felt his relief turn into rage at being so clueless, so helpless. He scanned the ground, spotting that Seifer, at least, didn't seem to be similarly restrained by the weird plant vines.

"Seifer! You still have your sword, right? Can you help me?"

His friend said nothing, just gazed up at him with a frustrated scowl, as if Sora was interrupting something terribly important. Not sure why there was any need for hesitation, Sora kept trying to struggle his own way out, glancing back up at the ceiling where the plant roots restraining him were attached.

"What's going on? What is all of this stuff?"

There had to be some reason behind it all. Something. Anything. His friend strangely smirked and gestured grandly around the room.

"It's just us."

"...huh?" He looked so _proud_ saying so, but Sora couldn't hide his own confusion, glancing over at Riku and Kairi in turn, kicking his foot through the air as he continued to struggle. "What are you talking about? Riku's right over there, and-"

Sora gasped painfully. The vine was began to squeeze him just a little bit tighter, and he noticed Seifer was making some strange motion with his hand below. Was Seifer...controlling this plant thing? No way. It's not like plants were telepathic.

"I said _justice_ you idiot."

"Oh..." Sora considered that that response made at least a little bit more sense, even if everything still didn't make sense at all. "Wait, I don't get it. How is this-"

"Take a look around. Any idea where we are right now?"

Sora tried once more to struggle out of the hold that gripped him but tried to at least examine what he could. From what he could see, it looked like they were in some kind of underground cave, filled with waterfalls and streams flowing all over the place. The water dripped down in several places, sending echoes through the empty cavern. It was also filled with a dark hum, seeming to pulse and emanate from various tall black stalk-like roots twisted around the walls. What Sora had first thought in his groggy state was a bare leafless tree growing down from the ceiling was actually another one of those twisted plants all growing from some unknown source. Whatever it was practically screamed evil. The pure sparkling water, as if frightened or repulsed by the darkness, turned itself upwards to escape it wherever they ran close, literally defying gravity as it chose instead to flow upwards in various places towards the land above.

There was also a massive hole in the ceiling, and Sora could vaguely hear what sounded like whistles echoing in a familiar tune all the way down to them. The same tune that always played around a particular building on the castle grounds.

"Are we...under the temple?"

"Full points so far for observation." Another dark laugh, despite there not really being much to find funny. "Isn't it curious? We always just accepted that the water flowed up the wrong way here because it simply did. Turns out the tangle of dark roots down here were the culprit. The light in the water was naturally repelled. We were told places like this were holy and special, but it was only because they were closer to the darkness."

Sora huffed in frustration and tried to free his arms, baffled about everything and not entirely sure why a lesson on the properties of water was really important when he was hanging, captive, at least fifteen feet up in the air.

"Can you help me down already?"

Ignoring his questions completely, his friend sighed, shaking his head in apparent disappointment.

"There is so much you don't understand. You should consider this a valuable lesson from someone who has achieved true enlightenment."

Seifer extended out his arms again, like he was proudly showing himself off to...who, exactly? Sora glanced over his shoulder to the best of his ability just to check that there was no one else in the cave with them. As if angry at the lack of acknowledgment, Seifer snarled, twisting his hand around. Exactly in turn, the vines spun Sora upside down, mimicking the knight's movements perfectly.

Well, that answered the question if he was controlling them or not. "W-what is this stuff!? How are you..."

Wrenching his arms back and forth, Sora found it impossible to right himself under the sticky grip. And while there were multiple dark slimy gobs threateningly pooling around the edge of the vines above him, they weren't actually dripping. Thankfully. If they decided to start, his face was probably the first thing that was going to catch them.

"An intriguing power, isn't it? Are you jealous? It bends completely to my will."

To demonstrate, Seifer flicked his finger and one errant vine swatted Sora across the side of the face. It stung.

"What's gotten into you!? If you can control it then just let us go!"

"I should have expected you to be like this. So slow. So trusting of everyone. You always had trouble with the basics, let alone anything more complicated. Always had to rely on your hero to come swooping in, holding your hand through everything."

He bobbed his head over to Riku's sleeping form and scoffed. Then, twisting his hand once more, he relayed some other command to the vine. It began to lower Sora down closer to the ground, flipping him back right-side up. Sora breathed a slight sigh of relief at no longer being forced to hang like a bat. Unfortunately, Seifer had kept him frustratingly just high enough above the ground that his feet couldn't quite touch the dirt.

"Allow me to offer the most basic explanation I can so even a simpleton like you will understand. The only thing that has 'gotten to me' is the truth. And the truth has granted me phenomenal power."

Seifer's face twisted almost lustfully as dark blobs began oozing from his own arm like sap. The globs flopped to the ground, quivered, then plunged into the dirt before erupting back up towards the sky like spears, stabbing through the ceiling and crashing into whatever unfortunate structure was above. Sora could hear faint rumbling, as if part of a building was collapsing.

Horrified, Sora watched and listened until the sound died away and the rumbling ceased. A shiver involuntarily crawled up his back. It was like his friend had morphed into something completely demonic. A faint memory tugged at the fringes of his mind. He had seen darkness like this before. It emanated absolute loneliness and pain.

"...w-who...who are you!? The Seifer I know would nev-"

A bit of vine snaked its way around his mouth, gagging him completely. For some reason the dark gag that resembled an ochu vine tasted incredibly salty, and Sora tried to spit it away from his mouth, feeling sick. Strange, considering he normally did like a good fried ochu plate now and again but this tasted like something altogether disgusting, like bitter coffee grounds rubbed in salt. Not that he would actually know what that tasted like, but he could imagine.

"Shut up and listen. I only left you alive because I have the slimmest sliver of hope that you might be willing to help the cause. I know you never did like following their rules."

Sora _tried_ to ask the Seifer impostor again to identify themselves, but it probably only came out muffled, sounding something like 'mmfooarmmoo'.

A soft click, like the sound of high heeled shoes on stone drew his attention away from the fake Seifer and he nearly choked at the sight of the witch now observing from the corner. Despite revealing her presence, she said nothing, and kept her eyes focused on the nearby pulsing dark roots.

Seifer, however, was much more talkative.

"You remember Maleficent, don't you?"

Mockingly, Seifer forced one of the vines to pinch around Sora's chin and forcibly bob his head up and down before dipping it towards the ground as if in a bowing motion. The rest of his body was pulled down into similar compliance until he was twisted into a formal stance of respect.

"That's more like it. You shouldn't struggle so much, it's only delaying the inevitable."

Immediately defying the suggestion, Sora fought to regain control of his own chin, gritting his teeth against the action forced onto him and spat out more muffled frustrations.

"She deserves respect. Because of her, my eyes were opened. She's far more powerful than you realize. She is from the old world. From before this kingdom even formed. But she was betrayed. The so-called ancient deities who founded the gardens used her knowledge to split the very heart of the world in two. One side of darkness, the other side light. They trapped the essence of each in a seed. The dark seed they buried deep beneath the earth, hoping to hide it away. But the light seed? They hid within their own bloodline, passing it down from generation to generation. And now the husk of it lies inside of _her_."

Seifer gestured grandly over towards Kairi, who was beginning to stir slightly beneath her bonds and Sora couldn't help but feel a pang of worry at the sight. Her face was far from peaceful, slightly wincing now and again from pain. He wished he could at least reach her.

The Seifer lookalike was still insisting on ranting, however, and Sora's arms were still stuck to his side, his feet held just as tight, so there wasn't much he could do. Inwardly groaning, he decided that at least by listening he might get some clue about who this guy even was, and why he was pretending to look like his friend. It was probably just some trick from the witch still skulking around in the corner.

"Clearly by that look on your face you still don't understand what it means. Or you still insist on believing I'm some fake replica or some other nonsense. But I'm the most real thing here. That princess, her father...this entire _kingdom_ is what is fake! For thousands of years they've been lying to maintain their happy little bubble. Do you even know the state of the world outside of the light barrier? It's in shambles. Yet did they ever care? Not at all. Does that seem fair to you? It's clearly all her fault. All the family's fault. Care to admit it?"

Twitching a finger, the fake Seifer loosened the gag around Sora's mouth and he didn't even wait a moment before shouting back.

"How is it her fault at all!? What does whatever happened thousands of years ago have to do with-"

The dark gag slapped itself back just as tight as before, cutting him off. Seifer looked...unhappy to say the least.

"You just don't get it, do you? They have always been content treating us like tools. But they have been lying from the very start. Telling us whatever they want to make us serve them as dutifully as possible. They told me my sister was dead so I would be a perfect little slave for their cause. But they were the ones who stole her from me!"

Lifting up his lapel, he showed off a shimmering flash of a golden pin in the shape of a sparrow. The one he had always kept guarded as his special treasure.

"I've only ever fought for my sister. For true justice, remember? Well I refuse to serve a lie any longer. I'm going to be the chosen one to tear down their corruption and restart from fresh. And I'm going to rescue my sister from the hell they have trapped her in."

Sora felt his heart sinking in his chest. He really didn't want to believe it, not one bit. But only the best impostor in the world could have known about that pin. Seifer had hid it so well from everyone. It could only mean the person in front of him was the most convincing fake ever, or...he really was…

The sudden lack of struggling must have tipped Seifer off that something was amiss, and Sora once more felt his mouth set free from the disgustingly salty vine.

Even then, he still was having trouble finding the words, and remained quiet.

He could still taste something bitter.

In the silence, Sora heard some light mumbling from Kairi's direction and he looked over to see her painfully struggling to flicker her eyes open.

"W-where..."

Sora really didn't like the smirk that was slowly spreading across Seifer's face as he tauntingly commanded one of the smaller vines to whip its way towards her.

"Don't-"

Ignoring Sora's protest, the vine pinched firmly at the sides of Kairi's face and she yelped as it snapped her chin down, forcing her to look over at the two of them.

Seifer grinned darkly. "We were _just_ talking about you."

Her eyes, panicked, were doing everything they could to scan the room and quickly assess the scene in front of her. Sora locked eyes with her, wanting to offer some words of comfort but he really wasn't sure what to say. Her gaze remained on him, and he could already see her choking back tears.

"Sora, are you-" As she tried to move her hand towards him, it was wrenched back forcibly by the tangle of vines around her wrist, manipulating her body like a puppet.

The movement seemed particularly painful for her, but she whimpered only briefly, biting down hard on her lower lip to silence herself, perhaps if only for his benefit.

It broke his heart.

"Stop it, you're hurting her!"

Sora didn't care how tight the binds were around him, there was no way he was going to stay tied up and watch her suffer. Seifer ignored his escape efforts, finding his struggle to even attempt freeing one arm laughable, and focused instead on Kairi.

"Her pain is proof that the other half of the world lies within her. The darkness is seeking it, yanking it closer, yearning to pull the seed of light that courses through her very blood into its depths. It feels like fire, doesn't it? I can feel the slight echoes of it myself. I was gifted but the tiniest fragment of a dark spore. Though, since you have a whole husk of a seed yourself I'm sure your pain is tenfold."

Kairi's breath came out in light rattles, but she tried her best to speak around the deep gulps she was struggling to take.

"You're...using the dark. Please stop...you will only hurt...more..."

"As if you care about anyone but yourself!" He commanded the plant to pinch her face again, wiggling it roughly back and forth. "What a pretty liar. A face like an angel but born from a pit of snakes, and has only ever served to perpetuate vain greed."

Seifer threw a furious arm over in Sora's direction. "I bet you filled his head with all sorts of sweet nothings so he will serve you like the perfect little tool."

Sora managed to finally rip his right arm free, and he continued biting and clawing at the pulsing mass around his waist. "Leave her alone! You're such a coward!"

That got his attention, at least. Seifer immediately zeroed in on him, eyes narrowed. "What did you call me?"

"You heard me! Only a coward would be using these stupid plants to pick on someone who can't fight back! If you're so powerful then beating me should be no problem, right? Why else keep me tied up here unless you're scared!"

He growled and raised Sora back up a few feet above the ground. "I'm not an idiot. I know what you are trying to pull."

While Sora had made some progress in escaping, Seifer flicked his hand and the vines readjusted, coiling around him again to once more render his arm useless. Undaunted, Sora kept tugging and yanking himself back and forth, sending a shower of rock dust down from the ceiling. Maybe he could just detach the plant completely if he kept at it. Or maybe…

Sora glanced around the room and nodded to himself. It was certainly worth a try.

Seifer rolled his eyes. "You never give up, do you? It's hard to accept you were manipulated, I know. But use that brain of yours. Whatever tiny little thing you have in there. Did you honestly think that it's fair to let the safety of a few take preference over the entire rest of the world?"

Getting a steady swinging motion now, Sora kept rocking back and forth, knocking slightly larger bits of rubble down from above.

"I'm not saying whatever happened in the past was justified..."

Lean to the left.

"Maybe it is all true."

Lean to the right.

"But it doesn't matter. I'm not gonna hold Kairi accountable for something she had no part in."

Once more.

"It's not like we pick our family before we're born."

Repeat.

"I want to help people. And if the world really is hurting I wanna help it, too."

Gathering speed.

"But there has to be a better way than pointing fingers and stepping on innocent people to reach your goal."

As he continued swinging, he realized his efforts were now carrying him fairly close to one wall of the cave and he started pushing off against it with his feet to gain even more momentum. The arc of his swing was now taking him back and forth across nearly the full span of the cave.

Evil vines were surprisingly stretchy.

Seifer watched him travel back and forth lazily, arms crossed.

"I don't know what you hope to accomplish by goofing off like that, but it is by far the stupidest escape plan I've ever seen. Actually, scratch that. You probably don't plan anything." He sighed. "If only you knew what having this power could feel like. Just think about it. If you could control the darkness like me then you wouldn't have to resort to swinging around like a monkey. I could give it to you. Don't you want to try? Surely you don't want to stay being so weak and stupid."

" _You're_ stupid!" It was a childish insult, but Sora couldn't really come up with anything better.

Unfortunately, his foot slipped on the rock and his next kick sent him twirling a bit out of control. The room spun, slowing his escape efforts slightly as he tried to correct for it before he got too dizzy. He also tried to tune out the scoffing laughter he could hear from below.

"Yeah, _I'm_ the stupid one, monkey-boy."

In the haze of his spinning vision, Sora thought he could see Seifer briefly touching at the golden pin on his jacket.

"Listen up loser. I'm only bothering with you because _sometimes_ you say things that remind me of my...but in this case you really just don't understand. This is unavoidable. If we don't reunite the heart of this planet it will continue to die. Why do you think the rain has been so sparse? It's on its last legs. I was hoping you would be more agreeable."

Finally regaining some control over his movement again, Sora once more kicked at the wall to regain the speed he had lost.

"I already told you I want to help things. I also think you're wrong."

Seifer grunted. "It's like dealing with a toddler. It's a real shame, too. I was hoping you would make a better decision than all the other fools. I offered Fuu and Rai the chance to help me too, but they...chose poorly. Don't think I won't hesitate to trash you, too."

Sora paused, stunned, accidentally letting himself smack right into the cave wall. "You...you what? Just listen to yourself! Fuu and Rai have been your friends through everything!"

" _Were_ my friends. I don't need anything useless weighing me down any more."

Rage and frustration now coursing through him, Sora glanced back over his shoulder briefly and found the direction he needed to aim for and gave the wall a massive kick.

"Other than being a jerk, what is it you are even trying to do anyway!?"

Seifer continued watching him swing back and forth. "First, I am going to feed that selfish princess to the dark core that hungers for her-"

Sora nearly spluttered in confusion. "F-feed!? Wait, what-"

"-then I will reunite the heart of the world, save my sister and at least rebuild everything so it is no longer founded on lies."

Sora felt his skin prickle. And for a moment he was silent as he continued his swinging efforts, still not really understanding, but understanding enough. He was a whole tangle of emotions, but mostly he just felt sad.

He also knew he was running out of time.

"Seifer, I know you aren't a bad person. You want to help. And I...of course I want to help your sister, too. But...this really can't be the only way. Throwing your friends away? Destroying everything in your path? Surely you know that's wrong! Isn't that why you didn't just get rid of me the first chance you could? Because you know it's-"

"This is the last chance I'm giving you, Sora. As I said, I decided to offer you a chance as a courtesy, but I don't...I don't actually care what happens to you. So just answer me already! Don't be content to just follow their rules! Don't be a slave for the rest of your life."

"Says the guy pledging his allegiance to some plant-thing and a witch!"

" _Sorceress._ " While Maleficent had been staying quiet the entire time up until now, both of them shouted the correction at the same time. Clearly he had hit a nerve with that one.

"I should teach you a lesson for that, you disrespectful oaf." Seifer scowled and drew his sword sharply, the metal ringing through the cave. Kairi whimpered softly once more in protest, but wasn't able to say much else as the pain was obviously still affecting her.

"I'd like to see you try!" Sora's challenge bounced across the cavern walls.

He scoffed. "It seems you'll only get in my way, insisting on protecting the little temptress that seduced you. Very well, I'll be sure to write something meaningful on y-"

With one final kick against the wall, Sora finally managed to reach it.

The vine that was holding him sailed in a wide arc across the room, flying right underneath a very narrow trickle of water pouring down from the temple pool above: exactly what he had been aiming for.

Just like bitter enemies, the moment the two collided they each sought desperately to repel the other. The vine binds around him shrieked and abruptly shriveled towards the ceiling to get away from the sudden shower. And Sora, now slightly damp from brief contact with the waterfall, was like poison. It writhed a moment before hurling him aside.

Sora crashed to the ground of the cave, wet, dizzy, but free.

Gaping, Seifer stared in stunned silence at the twitching withered vine that was desperately trying to recover in the corner, still trembling like a frightened animal.

"Y-you..."

Sora backed up a step, letting the glowing water pour over his shoulder. It was refreshingly cool. And he knew as long as he was in the water, those vines wouldn't be able to pick him back up. Now all he had to do was somehow get some water up to where Kairi and Riku were still trapped.

"Hey, Seifer!" Sora didn't have a weapon, so he could only do the next best thing. He grabbed a handful of cold water from the small waterfall and hurled it straight into his friend's face. "Catch!"

The knight spluttered, wiping the water from his face indignantly, wincing slightly at the touch of the light against whatever dark powers had been stuffed inside of him.

"What the hell are y-"

"Too slow!"

He got another full face of water and roared, stomping towards the edge of the falling stream. "Is this all a joke to you or something!?"

"Of course not. You told me what you wanted and now it's my turn. I'm gonna rescue my friends. And that includes your sister _and you_ , whether you want me to or not. I know the real Seifer is still in there somewhere."

"The real-" Another handful of water cut him off and he glared, furious. " _I am the real Seifer!_ Stop it!"

"So you can spit another evil guy monologue at me? No thanks."

Sora's eyes made a quick sweep of the room just so he could double check what he had to work with. There was basically nothing in the cave but some rocks, some mushrooms, moss and more dark vines. He wasn't entirely sure what would help him launch the water up high enough to break the binds on his friends still hanging above, but he remembered that moss could get kinda wet and slimy sometimes. Not that he wanted to start chucking moss-covered rocks up at them, but what else could he do?

At the very least, the water he was throwing at Seifer seemed to be affecting the plant in a strange way too. The vines were starting to snake and rattle against the walls as if growing frustrated. It was clear that Seifer was connected to the plant, just as it was being controlled by him. Perhaps if Sora could break the connection between the two of them...

Frustrated, Seifer began to pace back and forth around the edge of the waterfall and the small pool that was now forming in the sand of the cave. It almost reminded Sora of a feral cat trying to wait out its prey.

"You can't stay in the water forever, and eventually her blessing on it will run out. Just make it easier for both of us and come out."

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

The knight raised his sword aloft. "Ha! And you called me a coward! Who is the one hiding, huh!?"

Sora gestured over towards the weapon his friend had still raised high, then waved his own empty hand through the air. "Yeah, well you aren't exactly fighting fair. I thought you didn't like cheaters."

Slitting his eyes, Seifer spit in the direction of the water and even despite all his anger, finally seemed to run out of things to say.

In the sudden quiet, Sora could barely hear the light chime of Kairi's voice faintly echoing through the cave. It was faint, with nearly every other word fading in and out, but he was fairly sure he understood what she was trying to say.

She was thanking him.

Seifer whipped around, pointing his sword up at her barely conscious form. "Hey! Don't you dare think this is over. Just because I can't reach him now doesn't mean he isn't completely on the ropes. It's only a waiting game at this point."

"He's safe...because my...ritual..."

Taking a heavy step towards her, Seifer's voice dipped to a growl. He really was like a feral beast now. "So what? It doesn't mean anything!"

"It means...everything."

Despite the obvious anguish on her face, she closed her eyes and began to gently breathe in and out. There was a familiar faint glow around her fingertips, something that Sora remembered seeing when she was blessing the water in the mornings.

Sure enough, the light pulsing around her grew, and the vines holding her writhed and hissed. An unnatural screech echoed from somewhere deeper in the cave, and the plant began to wither away just as it had done when touching the waterfall.

The more the vines pulled away from her, the stronger and less pained she appeared. Yanking her right arm free from the now weakened bond, she began to rip the rest of the trap off of her.

"If we truly hold opposite halves, than my power can fight back against yours just the same!"

Seifer continued stomping towards her, sword aloft as she struggled to shake free before he drew any closer.

"While I need you alive, I don't need you _unharmed_. Perhaps you'll be more willing to cooperate if I disfigure that pretty little face of yours first."

"Not happening!"

While it would have been far more cool to pull off a more heroic move than brutishly slamming his entire body shoulder-first into Seifer's back, it was undoubtedly effective. Grunting, Seifer got a whole face full of sand while Sora hastily disarmed him and stumbled back up to his feet. Now armed with the borrowed sword, he made sure to stand ready.

His opponent was slow to hoist himself back up, still spitting grit from his mouth and Sora chanced a check over at how Kairi was managing with her escape efforts. Somehow she had managed to shrug off every single vine except one pesky one still snagged around her ankle, which left her somewhat dangling precariously upside down.

"Kairi be careful, you're still pretty high off the gr-"

Her eyes locked with his and she abruptly flushed. "D-don't look right now, please!"

Confused, he returned his gaze back to Seifer who was still brushing some sandy shame off of his jacket, taking extra care to make sure his swallow pin hadn't been damaged in the fall.

Why didn't Kairi want him to look? Either way, he didn't want her getting hurt once she finally got the last thing off her.

"If I can't look how am I supposed to catch you?"

"I-I'll let you know when I'm about to fa-"

He heard something snap and her light shriek. Quickly hurling the sword onto the sand behind him to be safe, he clumsily tried catch her as she tumbled directly onto him.

While he managed to successfully grab her, he teetered off balance and the two of them thumped down into the sand. It certainly could've gone better. It definitely did in his head, anyway. But from the relieved squeeze he felt pinching around his neck, at least she seemed safe enough.

She sat up, glancing over him quickly, tucking and retucking a wayward lock of hair behind her ear in obviously embarrassed fidgeting. "Y-you aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, I-"

He noticed her hastily begin tugging at her dress, attempting to straighten and smooth it back down over her lap. All at once it hit him why she had been so shy. A dress definitely wasn't the best thing to be wearing when hanging upside down. She would've been...

He cleared his throat and tried not to make it too obvious what he was thinking.

"A-anyway...now we gotta get Riku."

Snatching Seifer's sword back up out of the sand, he stood, offering Kairi a hand up as well. She snuggled up close to his side, and he could feel a gentle hum almost pulsing from her body. It was the complete opposite sense he had gotten from the plant roots earlier. If the pulses were more like music, he had a feeling Kairi's would sound like a light woodwind, smooth and pleasant to the ears, whereas Seifer's dark plants would have been more like something barely discernible, just beyond the range of hearing that still could somehow trigger goosebumps and uncertainty.

Sora also noticed that there was some sort of bright golden glow now that surrounded them like an aura. Kairi was clearly the source of it, and she furrowed her brow in concentration.

"Sora, I'll protect you."

Her light was already filling him with a sense of peace, so he didn't doubt she would have any trouble keeping the darkness back. His only worry was if he would be able to be a decent enough shield to keep her safe in turn.

Riku was still completely out of it, so the two of them were on their own with this.

"Thanks. But if things get too dangerous you should ru-"

"I'm not leaving you two behind. I'm fighting too."

The firmness with which she said so left Sora with the distinct impression that it was going to be completely useless to argue. He nodded, and gripped the foreign sword, trying to get a feel for its weight in his hands.

One lighthearted smile from him was all it took to reassure her he was listening. "Heh, did I ever tell you how much I liked your stubborn side?"

"Maybe that's because you're just as bad sometimes." She pressed her forehead into his shoulder, her voice suddenly much less teasing, much less sure. "Please stay safe. And stay close so my light can reach you."

"Don't worry, with the two of us working together I know we can do it."

Sora checked on Seifer quickly, but he was only standing there silently, regarding the two of them with a cold stare as if waiting for something. Sora was about to question him but instead, he heard the distinctive clack of heels on stone and once more remembered Maleficent was somewhere around.

He spun around, sword at the ready to try and find her before she could pull off some tricky magic. To his surprise, he found her relaxing up against the wall as if she was disinterested in the events before her.

"I believe I've seen enough of this nonsense. Allow me to intervene. We kept the boy as a backup for a reason, did we not?"

"Yeah." Seifer answered her stiffly, gritting his teeth. "Sora has a nasty habit of not staying down when he's supposed to."

Maleficent began humming something and the room pulsed once. Twice. The notes combined in a strange chord, something Sora had never heard before and wasn't sure if he ever wanted to hear again. Some kind of ancient and lost discordant hymn momentarily circled the cave then faded once more.

Sora glanced about, ready to charge towards whatever monster she had summoned but found the cave still...well, _still_. Nothing moved. Kairi flinched and gripped the side of his arm.

"Something feels...different."

Sora nodded in agreement, but was still unsure. Nothing _looked_ any different. Seifer was still standing there with an icy expression. Maleficent once more leaning absentmindedly against the rocks, taking care to polish the green pommel at the end of her staff.

It was all the same, until he saw a faint rustling coming from the vines above where Riku was hanging. His friend very slowly and groggily opened his eyes.

"Riku! Over here!" Sora tried to wave to catch his attention, but it didn't seem to work. Riku had a distant and confused expression on his face and Sora could only assume he was going through what he had been earlier, drifting in and out of the realm of sleep.

"We'll get you down soon, don't worry!"

"Here, let me help with that." Seifer flicked his wrist and the vine released Riku in an instant, dropping him unceremoniously to the sand below.

He coughed painfully and groaned, clutching his hand to his side and Sora immediately worried if the fall or some previous battle had injured him.

Sora rushed forward so hastily he only vaguely realized Kairi had called out to him to wait after he had already made it to his friend's side. Resting a relieved hand on Riku's shoulder, he quickly returned his attention back to her.

"What's wrong? We need to help-"

He never got to finish what he wanted to say.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy KH3 release day everyone! First off, I wanted to apologize for not finishing uploading the entire story before the game officially came out over here, but the ending ended up taking more time than I expected. So, while I said earlier there were going to only be two chapters remaining, I was off by one. Oops.**

 **I just wanted to say that while technically I wrapped up writing everything yesterday and only have to finish editing the final two parts now, I am going to be spending some time playing the game so it will probably still take me a little bit to publish those last two chapters.**

 **Just letting everyone know what's happening on my end! (There won't be any spoilers for KH3 either, as I finished writing before playing the game. If that was something anyone was concerned about.)**

 **I'm looking forward to finishing this tale up and seeing what the future has in store. ^^v**

 **-A. Moth**


	21. Ch 21: Promises to keep

She tried to swallow, but her throat was far too dry. Words fumbling, heart racing, she shakily tried to reach towards him.

 _No. No, no no..._

Her heart was beating so hard in her ears that all else was muffled nonsense. Vaguely, she recognized the sound of laughter. Cruel, mocking laughter bouncing across the room. Kairi's fuzzy mind offered nothing but a dull hum as she stared at it.

That thing. By that horrible thing, Sora was..

The dark weapon had pierced its way all the way through, effortlessly dangling his body up into the air. Sora scrabbled in shock at the object impaling him, unable to utter much more than horrified choking.

"R-Ri-u...wh..."

Riku only stared back with a soulless and empty expression; not even reacting to the sight of his dear friend sagging at the end of the spear clenched tightly in his own hand. Nor did Riku even blink at the few drops of Sora's blood flecking his face.

Kairi didn't even feel herself move, but felt instead like she was passively watching from behind a veil as her body rushed towards that horrible dark spear. Her hands clenched around it, ignoring the serrated edges that bit into her palms.

An aura of light burst from her hands and the spear instantly shattered into thousands of glass-like shards. The pieces crumbled down towards the sand before evaporating into black smoke. Riku stumbled backwards away from her glow as if driven only by mindless impulse to escape the light.

Now freed, Sora crashed to the sand, his breath coming out in short pained gasps.

With considerable effort he somehow managed to sit up, clamping a hand down over his side. "W-why—"

He winced, unable to speak any further through the pain of it and collapsed back onto the sand, now shaded in a dark red hue. Dropping down next to him, Kairi didn't even care how gritty and painful it felt against her knees. With one hand she focused on encircling them both with light strong enough to temporarily stave off the darkness...and Riku, should he choose to approach again.

The other hand began fumbling at Sora's clothes, trying to yank them away from the wound so she could see it more clearly. She wished she hadn't. Kairi felt her consciousness shrink further into the back of her mind in a desperate retreat. Her body continued to move on its own.

"Hold still." Her voice spoke with surprising clarity, not at all betraying the fear curdling in her stomach. "Stop moving."

Perhaps shocked by the cold calculated tone of her order, or perhaps only due to the pain in his body, she saw him shivering, his eyes half misted over.

"I'm s-sorry...I didn't listen when-said not to-"

His strained apology was beyond unnecessary. All it did was make her heart clench, wishing she had spoken more warmly. The shock of the scene had caused her to nearly disassociate completely, watching it all unfold from some veiled, far-away place. But she knew right now, he needed her there. All of her.

She all so suddenly felt herself once more gaining control of her own trembling hands, really feeling the warmth seeping out of him. It was so much worse, but she bit her tongue.

"I...so stupid..."

Kairi gently shushed his clumsy continued attempts to apologize, pressing her own forehead against his clammy brow. Yes, he had been careless in rushing towards Riku without considering the situation, but it was just the sort of horrid trap that would lure someone like him in immediately.

A cruel trick; there was no reason for Sora to ever be suspicious of his best friend, nor to think that Riku was being influenced to act outside of his will. But someone had been bending Riku's body to do its bidding, and Sora ran headfirst right into danger. A danger that unfortunately came equipped with spontaneously appearing magical barbed weapons. She had sensed the darkness, but wasn't able to warn him of it fast enough.

"Quiet, now. I'm right here with you. Can you try to relax a bit?"

He uttered a muffled whimper as she could feel him doing his best to comply. As hard as it was for her to do, she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Okay, now focus on your breathing for me if you can. Nice and slow."

Eyes pinched shut, Sora was clearly doing his best to take even, steady gulps of air. It was no wonder why even something so simple was a struggle; his injury looked terrible. Confusion over the whole situation still clouded his pained expression. She was resolved to at least be something stable for him to cling to.

While not a doctor, at least all her interest in medicinal herbs over the years had taught her a few things. Without stopping to reconsider, she ripped at her skirt, tearing off a decent chunk of the cloth and, bundling it up, pressed it into his wound to try and staunch the bleeding. She wasn't sure if her light could help heal something like this, but she focused on it anyway, hoping at the very least it might dull his pain. If it had worked in the past, she hoped it would work now.

As she concentrated, she turned her eyes upwards to search for Riku once more. He was standing several paces away from the circle of her light, gazing straight through her as if still asleep. If there was any doubt about who was controlling him, Seifer was sneering contentedly next to the raven toting witch. A faint green glow was pulsing from Riku's chest and she could feel the animosity pouring from it. It was the same dark aura that had surrounded those knights that had haunted her endlessly through Darkfall.

Beads of sweat began pooling around her forehead. She had never before had to summon her ritual light for this long, and it was starting to actually feel uncomfortable. How much longer could she really maintain this protective space, while at the same time trying to use any spare light to sooth Sora's pain? It was a question she couldn't answer, and didn't want to try.

Sora mumbled, his voice barely audible but every gasp he could spare fought to relay his message. "Riku...not himself...the dark...careful...p-please..."

"I know, it's okay, please don't strain yourself."

It was hard to keep her own hands steady, as the sheer effort of the spell was causing her fingers to rattle like they were freezing. She could feel him growing colder underneath her despite her light being a source of even, consistent heat.

She did everything she could to stop the remaining embers of his warmth from fading, but it was like she was trying to catch snowflakes from the sky. It melted away effortlessly in her hands, leaving her nothing but the cold. Even as she desired to offer him the warmth of her own body to use, it felt like her gift was falling into an untouchable abyss.

"Sora, stay with me...please stay with me..."

Vision blurred, it was hard to see his face clearly any more. It was too much. She could feel it all slipping away beneath her fingers; his laughter, his smile, the simple joy he always bore on his face...

She desperately blinked away the tears just to try and see him, even for just that little bit longer. Sora's hand clumsily reached for the one she had pressed against the messy bundle of ripped dress. He gazed up at her lovingly, his eyes still foggy from pain.

"It's...warm..."

The pain should have preoccupied so much of his thoughts, but it was clear he was doing his best to shove it aside, focusing instead on her. She knew her face was likely bearing far more worry and fear than she wanted. With both hands occupied, she couldn't stop the loose tears from dripping onto him despite her every attempt at a smile.

"You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay..."

Endlessly she looped the mantra, ever desperately, voice trembling all the more, and she knew the words served only to foolishly attempt to convince herself as her mind screamed and begged inside.

 _Please don't take him away from me. Not like this. Not yet._

In the depths of what felt like an endless swirling abyss, she called out to every spark of light and love she had ever felt, clinging to the emotions as dearly as she clung to him. And as her prayers continued, it seemed like the waves of it were slowly washing the anguish from his body. His senses ever so slightly perked up, and she felt a flicker of hope in the light just barely starting to return to his eyes. At the same time, she also noticed that the bleeding had slowed significantly.

Perhaps, an errant thought interjected, because there wasn't much blood left. Horrified, she shook the renegade thought from her head.

 _No, no, no._

Still clutching his hand against hers, Sora blinked with brighter eyes and tipped his head briefly to the side, contemplatively.

"It feels...it's gone...?"

She wasn't fully sure if she understood, but feared the worst. A sign of the end. Very often she had heard that those at death's door briefly stop feeling pain before inevitably...

Panic forced her heart into overdrive, and she shook her head so rapidly that even more tears were flung away from her flooded eyes.

"I won't give up on you. I won't let you go, I won't!"

Sora tried pulling the now soiled bits of dress to the side but she fought him on it, refusing to stop clamping her hands down on him.

"It's okay, Kairi. The pain isn't-" He won at the brief struggle, managing to shift the fabric to the side despite her knuckles pinching it so tightly in place they were starting to turn white.

"Wait! It's-"

She gasped. It was so beyond unbelievable she doubted her own eyes and froze.

There was nothing there. No injury, no mark, nothing.

It really was gone.

Just as confused, Sora glanced down at his now fully healed side and blinked a few more times, prodding the space with his finger.

"Kairi, how did you...? Your light can do that?"

She nodded very, very slowly, still stunned. "I...m-maybe? Are you...are you still in pain?"

He dropped his head back into the sand a moment and took a deep, steadying breath. "Still a bit sore, but I'll take it."

Not sure if she could laugh or cry, she could only stare at the blank patch of skin in shock. It was nothing short of a miracle. One she hoped she would never have to repeat again. However, the one problem her light didn't solve was his sudden loss of blood. His skin still looked a bit paler than usual and she worried about other possible repercussions not visible from the outside.

Despite her protests, he struggled to sit back up again.

"When this is over, I'm gonna thank you properly, okay? Until then..." He squeezed her hand with renewed vigor. "Just know you are the most amazing person, ever. Never forget that."

Mind still racing, she almost couldn't appreciate the compliment, nor even react as he wrapped her up in a sudden tight hug for a brief moment before rising to his feet. Even before it all finally sank in, she had already leapt back up to his side, clutching him close. Taking a deep breath, she made sure to keep her light shield around them burning strong, just to keep him safe.

She squished her face against his shoulder, appreciating every single trace of warmth she could still feel. And that was exactly when the gravity of his compliments struck her heart. She used her closeness to mask the rapid flushing of her face.

"D-don't you ever scare me like that again."

"Not planning on it." Sora's head snapped to look over at the dark fiends in the corner. In an instant, his mood shifted like a sudden cloudburst of rain in an otherwise clear sky. "You! What did you do to Riku!? Give him back right now!"

Seifer looked like he had just eaten something sour. "Why am I not surprised that you're somehow still kicking after that? But you won't be so lucky next time. Can't hide behind your little girlfriend forever."

"Answer me!" Sora demanded without hesitation, his face nonetheless reddening even though he didn't have much blood to spare.

Fury that she had rarely seen in him had sparked to life, burning with such intense fire that she wouldn't have believed how much pain he had been in only moments ago.

The edge of Seifer's mouth curled into a sneer and he shrugged, letting an idle finger drift over in Riku's direction. "I didn't do anything except step into the role _he_ abandoned."

"Stop talking in riddles and just tell me!"

"Allow _me_ that privilege." Maleficent interjected, tapping her nails one after the other on the glassy stone at the top of her staff. "Mr. Morizaki and I met a very long time ago. As a child, he accepted the gift of a seed from me. However, he regrettably changed his mind about accepting the power it offered. I believe _you_ would know more about the reason behind that choice, considering it was your wretched meddling that lead him down that path."

"My...meddling?"

"Oh, yes. How many times have I wanted to cast a spell to turn you into an ant and squash you with my thumb? I only refrain because that wouldn't be nearly as satisfying in the end. It is commendable at least: your frustrating knack of getting in my way."

"You expect me to be sad? Because I don't feel the least bit sorry about that!" Sora snipped back, wobbling a bit unsteadily on his feet from what Kairi assumed was lingering soreness in his core.

Maleficent eyed him suspiciously. "Quite the contrary. I actually wanted to thank you. You've made all of this supremely more interesting than if everything had gone my way. Over the years revenge became less of a priority for me. For when you get to see as much as I do, you start to really only live for truly satisfying moments, wherever they remain. Whatever the conclusion, I only wish to be entertained."

Kairi planted her feet in the sand, again trying to be something sturdy for him to hold onto. "Sora isn't your toy! Riku isn't either. Lives aren't just for your entertainment!"

It was hard to ignore the proud smile she saw Sora trying to hide from her view. It wasn't the best time, but just knowing that he was so taken by her jumping to his defense made her heart flutter all the same. Ever so tentatively, she latched her fingers around his arm just to feel the brush of his skin once more.

Sora once more locked eyes with the witch, a slight snarky grin on his face. "You got that right. You'd think someone with her...you know, _advanced age_ , would know better by now."

Maleficent huffed and stabbed the blunt end of her staff into the ground. "Cheeky. Unfortunately, no matter what you preach at me, the truth is evident. Your precious Riku is nothing but a puppet. A puppet to the will of the darkness. In his current state, no matter how much he is crying out inside he is powerless to resist."

Sora scanned the sand nearby for something, his brow furrowed, rage still trembling behind his eyes. "I don't care if you want to mess with me, but let him go!"

Maleficent only offered a small cold smile before returning her attention to her nails. "Your opinion doesn't interest me. As I said, I'm only here to observe. Now go on, play your part like a good little knight."

Seifer took an eager step forward. "Allow me to kick things off. I am going to complete the ritual whether you losers like it or not."

He scuffed his boot across the sand, flinging the grains in Sora's direction. "I already knew there was a chance you would stay utterly hell bent on saving your precious sweetheart, so I figured Riku would make the perfect distraction for you." A cruel, horrid sneer remained on his face. "Besides, I'm curious. Will you be willing to cut down your dearest friend to save her? Or will you let him destroy you both first?"

Kairi felt a nausea-inducing shiver run up her back. She didn't know much about Seifer, but did he really have no empathy at all for someone who was supposed to be his friend? How could he have even conceived of a plan so despicable?

"Stop taunting him! I won't let y-"

Before she could finish her grand proclamation, the roots around the room began to shake and peel themselves off the walls. Like minions obeying their master, they began to stab upwards into the ceiling, sending rubble crashing down into the cave below. The sounds above ground were equally as terrifying. Crashing, screaming, faint rumbles of structures being uprooted and toppling to the ground joined into a massive cacophony of cave floor wobbled unsteadily, causing both her and Sora's feet to do the same. They did their best to keep each other stable, but it was a futile effort, and they were forced down on their hands and knees as the earth buckled beneath them. The sand surged like the ocean.

Amid the destruction, Kairi could hear Seifer continuing to gloat.

"Do you even know how deep this root system goes? The lack of rain has left the land parched, dry of blessing and vulnerable to attack. How many will have to die this time before you surrender yourself, princess? You can end this any time, you know."

Kairi could see the destruction. Hear it. Feel it.

She knew. There really might not be a way out of this. And perhaps it really was selfish of her to fight for her life and prolong all of the pain. But even though she knew, part of her still wasn't ready to just give in to his demands.

If this was going to be her end, she was going to accept it with her head held high, heart steeled and take that final step towards destiny on her own terms. Not on ones decided for her.

Regaining her balance as best she could, she gazed upon on the gloating knight and the sorceress, clasped her hands together and concentrated.

"Sora, I have an idea but it's going to be a bit risky. My light won't be able to shield us anymore."

She tipped her head briefly back towards Riku's possessed form who was idling at the edge of her currently pulsing light shield that was keeping both her and Sora safe. Hopefully Sora got the message.

He nodded and after finally locating what he had been scanning the sand for, fished the borrowed sword out from where it was half buried. "No problem, I trust you. I won't let them surprise me again."

After another nod between them, Kairi pushed her hands forward and the light that circled around her and Sora shifted, spinning across the sand before encompassing its two new targets. Maleficent raised an eyebrow and tapped at the glowing wall now sealing both her and Seifer inside with an amused expression. Otherwise, she made no motion to try and escape.

Seifer, however looked like someone had just spit in his face. He charged towards the barrier and rammed his shoulder straight into it. The light immediately repelled the darkness inside of him. He crashed flat on his back with a grunt.

"What the hell did you just do!?"

He reached his arm up and tried to command the vines to smash down to where she was standing, but they only trembled in place, swaying back and forth as if lost. Unsure of how to act, the vines shuddered and fell silent once more. The ground thankfully stopped trembling as well.

It took Sora a moment glancing about in confusion to figure out what she had done, but in that instant his face lit up. "Oh, I get it! Seifer can't control them any more while he's in there because the light's getting in the way!"

He cheered a bit too enthusiastically and briefly winced, rubbing the still sore area on his side.

Kairi didn't have to confirm a thing; the rage in the other knight's face made it obvious that Sora had it all spot on. Seifer spit at the edge of her circle. "Yeah, well I'd love to see how long she can keep me in here. It won't last forever. Also..."

He sneered. Kairi heard the quick sound of someone rushing forward through sand.

"Sora, behind-"

She heard a metallic clang and, terrified, looked over her shoulder.

"Already on it!"

To her relief, Sora had managed to block the incoming strike of a dark and spiny sword, its edges as crooked as a bats wing. Deflected, it stabbed uselessly into the dirt. Not even a flicker of recognition passed across Riku's face as he took a step backwards and pivoted to gain momentum for another strike.

Sora blocked it, but winced and stumbled back from the blow. Not giving him any quarter, Riku charged and tried to force his way over to her. Sora intercepted him every step of the way, managing to counter the rapid attacks one after the other.

It was like a dance, and she found herself unintentionally enthralled at the swift back and forth. Each blow was blocked and traded for another. She could only assume that for two who had been friends for so long, surely they would be experienced in knowing each others' movements quite well. Even still, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Are you going to be okay!?"

A nervous smile crept onto Sora's face as he ducked under a swift horizontal slice aimed at his head.

"Well, the good news is he still moves like Riku, and I've sparred with him enough to know what he can do."

Even though he was trying to sound cheerful, she could hear his heavy breathing and knew he was already over-exerting himself after his earlier injury.

"Should I ask about the bad news?" She tried go suppress the thoughts of her own weakness as her arms began to tremble from the ever-growing strain of her magic.

"You...probably don't wanna know. But, the truth is..." The clanging sound of their swords interrupted him briefly. "Truth is, I've never won against him. Not even once."

Her chest began to feel tight. Sora was right; that was _not_ something she wanted to know in the slightest. But even against those miserable odds, Sora was still fighting with all his heart to refuse Riku even one more step towards her and she couldn't help but wish there was more she could do.

If only she had more strength to spare. If given the chance, perhaps her light might be able to break the spell holding their friend captive, but even the thought of extending herself further made her feel like she would crumble.

Riku endlessly attempted charge after charge towards her, sword raised high next to his head but Sora ever kept refusing him the chance. Both swords clashed together with such a loud clang Kairi could almost swear she felt the vibrations from where she was standing.

Gasping from the strain, Sora's leg visibly trembled and he was forced to roll away. Riku's sword crashed to the sand mere centimeters from him, kicking up a splash of sand and pebbles. In terms of raw power, Sora was clearly outmatched, but at least it appeared that he was slightly faster on his feet.

"Riku, stop! Can you really not hear me?"

His friend said nothing, pried his sword up out of the sand and charged again. Kairi could only watch horrified at their continued duel. As it dragged on, she knew it was unsustainable. While Sora was breathing heavily, bearing multitudes of light scratches and tears in his clothes from near misses, Riku was just as stoic as before, silently pressing the offensive. Each time their attacks met, Riku would nearly force Sora onto his knees. Each time Sora was forced to twist to the side to avoid being impaled once more. Each time a near miss.

He couldn't keep this up. He was going to lose. Sooner or later he was going to slip up and she wouldn't be able to fix it. Emotions swirled inside of her like a leaf twisting, lost, around a whirlwind. Every single clang made her chest tighten even more, the twisting burning sense of fear playing bitter like rust across her tongue.

But Sora always fought for what he wanted to protect with such intense passion. Even if it was foolish for him to do so. That's how he was about everything. The type of person to smash his head against his problems until he fixed them. Riku had told her that much the very first day she had met him, and his words still rang out just as clearly.

That endearing, sometimes infuriating perseverance of his...despite it all, it really was one of the things she loved most about him.

Seifer was starting to do whatever he could to attack the inside of her shield, punching and kicking, forcing her to strain harder to keep him properly sealed back. She felt herself starting to lose her balance and staggered in an attempt to regain her footing.

There really was no other option, was there?

"Sora, I...I think I know a way to help him."

"Really!?" The joy and hope in his voice made her unintentionally smile.

"My light should have the power to destroy the seed that is controlling him. I've done it once before. But...I can't spare the energy without letting those two free first." She nodded towards her shield that was now starting to flicker ever slightly. "And that's the last thing we need."

Shakily, she gulped, feeling her heart flutter as she realized just what she was about to suggest. "You'll...have to use my light for me."

Sora rolled away from his friend's blade and jumped back up to his feet, knocking the subsequent blow to the side.

"Sure!" Agreeing without even knowing what he was agreeing to; how very like him. Straining from the fight, Sora was forced to make his responses fast as he ducked and weaved under the rapid attacks raining down on him. "How?"

Kairi trembled, feeling a rush of warmth to her cheeks. "The light ceremony can...y-you'll have to bond with me."

"H-huh!?" Startled, he barely ducked away in time from the next stab of the dark blade and it caught slightly on his tunic, the serrated edges leaving a nasty rip across the fabric.

She bit her lip in panic as he struggled to recover. "I know it sounds strange, but the whole point of the Light Bonding ceremony is to share a piece of my heart, remember? It hasn't ever been done before, but if you have that piece you might be able to use it..."

He clearly wasn't processing her words properly.

"Wh...but—wait a-" He leaped backwards and rolled away, skidding against the sand. Alarmed in more ways than one, he risked a flustered look back at her. "Isn't the whole bonding thing a wedding ceremony!?"

She tried to hide her own blushing. Unsuccessfully. "Y-yes and no. Kind of..."

"Uh-huh..." Sora suddenly flashed a quick yet cheeky grin over his shoulder at her before making sure to keep dodging the rapid swinging of the dark sword flying his way. "So I'm supposed to ignore that you are only _kind_ _of_ asking me to marry you right now!? Not exactly the way I imagined this sort of thing going down!"

Seifer audibly groaned from the inside of the bubble of light.

"Well isn't this _romantic_?" His voice was oozing sarcasm. "So glad I have to sit through this stupid nonsense. Don't tell me you're going to start gushing mushy goo-goo at each other..."

She did her best to ignore the knight twittering off in the corner.

"It's n-not exactly a wedding...think of it like a prerequisite. The paperwork and seals _afterwards_ are what makes the ceremony count as a wedding. And we aren't planning on signing those, so...if that...makes any sense..."

Blocking the next strike, Sora tipped his head back and forth in confusion, trying to process everything she had said. "So...other than signing some papers, it's basically-"

Taking advantage of his distraction, Riku swept his leg out, knocking Sora down heavily into the sand. He yelped, and just barely managed to dodge out of the way of the incoming downward stab aimed right for his heart.

"Sora, this really isn't the time for semantics! I don't know what else to do!"

Leaping back up to his feet in a shower of sand, Sora somehow managed a carefree laugh.

"It's okay; I told you last night how I felt, remember? I meant every word and nothing's changed. So it's alright by me! Timing is...a little weird, sure, but let's do it!"

And while she had been worried for a moment he would be too distracted to defend himself, he seemed almost more invigorated than ever. It was hard not to smile at the overly enthusiastic way he had agreed so simply to such a dramatic request.

With a triumphant yell he kicked himself forward, swatted Riku's sword to the side and stomped down to pin it temporarily into the sand. Then, using the momentum from Riku attempting to free his blade from the soil, he leapt backwards. This was able to put some valuable space between him and his friend, and move him back closer to her.

"Heh, Riku's gonna be _soo_ mad when he finds out we did this." He paused, noticeably checking around the room before turning a helpless gaze back at her. "How...do we do it, again? Do we need like...a priest or something?"

Riku rushed to close the distance and Sora was forced back into battle before she could answer.

It was a good question; one she was also not to sure of the answer. For the last few days she had been taught by the priests extensively on the ceremony, but every step she had been taught was assuming the source of her powers was still from her bloodline. Which, she was fairly sure no longer applied to her.

She didn't understand everything about the current source of her power, but she knew it was different. It wasn't coming from the husk of the seed that the dark being below the earth was currently yearning for, despite it still hiding inside of her somewhere. The true source, she believed, was something far more beautiful.

Beatrix had handed her the first real confirmation of that earlier, when she offered over a fortune card left in her care by an old friend. It had been marked with the symbol of the Ewer, the water of life. A symbol of that which connects all people, like an invisible river coursing through every living thing. The very basis of magic that Ellone studied from.

Kairi knew she was somehow intrinsically tied to that river. The light was granted to her because of the love she felt for other people. The exact opposite of the power used by her family for generations, that required a user to separate themselves from everyone and everything.

Perhaps that meant all the years spent researching into the phenomenon of Light Refraction were useless to apply to her, as her light came from something so foreign to the seed passed down by her family. She realized quite bitterly that this was also the likely reason why all the castle scientists could never figure out how to make their artificial rain using her light. Their equations and calculations were all based on a power source that she simply wasn't using.

So how was she meant to perform a ceremony that wasn't designed for her? Would it even work? The original ceremony was all about bloodlines. As it was written, her intended beloved was to join her in destiny by drinking a very small sample of her own blood, diluted by the waters of the temple. Somehow this was meant to link them together symbolically, and would allow the two of them to touch from that point on, but that didn't stop the idea of it making her skin crawl. Nevertheless, whatever the stated reason behind that action was, the true one was more than likely to allow the seed inside of her to also live inside of him, albeit in a limited capacity. She knew that all the talk about destiny and the will of the Gods actually meant nothing. It was truly only ever about her blood and who possessed it.

But she could already touch Sora, so surely that first half of the ceremony was pointless. Thank goodness. She wouldn't have been looking forward to telling Sora to go all vampire on her.

Yet what about the second half? An exchange of vows. Each word like a thread, that when spoken aloud, wove together into a beautiful magic that connected their hearts together forever. The priests had always told her it was by the will of the Gods, but Kairi wasn't entirely sure. When the petals of such flowery language were plucked away, she had a feeling that what was responsible was just another branch of that ever-flowing river of ancient magic joining everyone and everything together.

Maybe all it would take to give him a piece of her heart was to reach out to him. Reach out to him, and let him take it.

"I think...as long as we both make a strong vow to connect ourselves to each other, it should work. Of course, there's no guarantee you'll be able to use my light after that, but..."

He knew what she meant without her having to finish. "But it's the only plan we got, so let's do it!"

"Sora, are your clothes still wet?"

Baffled at her sudden question, he glanced down at himself the moment he had a chance. "...uh, yeah I guess a bit, why?"

"I don't know if it is necessary or not, but you are supposed to be covered in water that I've previously performed a ritual on. Hopefully that's good enough."

Sora glanced down at his jacket, reassessing it more closely just to make sure. "If I need to I can always run under the-"

Riku took his distraction as an opportunity and lunged. Fumbling, the sword knocked across Sora's wrist and he stumbled backwards, clearly trying to mask the pain with a sharp exhale. He struggled to regain his smile, exhaustion clearly starting to weigh him down.

"Man...mind hitting my _other_ hand instead? That's the one I don't use as much..."

Kairi chewed at her lower lip, holding back yet another scolding to be more careful and focused on her own shield keeping Seifer and Maleficent at bay.

"Sora, I'm going to do my best to recite the ritual now. Repeat after me when I tell you to."

She saw Sora glance quickly back at her and she caught a brief twinge of regret on his face, as much as he tried to hide it.

"Kairi, wait a sec...are _you_ really okay with this? With...someone like me? Like you said before, I'm not exactly a prince. And in a place like this...it's probably the least romantic situation ever. You don't even have a nice dress or anything..."

It was true, her outfit was practically in tatters at the skirt but for some reason she actually felt rather fond of it being her...almost kind of, not really, _prerequisite_ wedding dress. Because it was only torn so badly because she used it to save him. Every single rip along the hem was just physical proof to her that none of that mattered in the slightest when compared to keeping him safe and by her side.

She could be offered the gaudiest ceremony in the world, but none of it would matter if she didn't feel a thing for the person reciting their vows opposite her.

"If there is anyone in this world I would trust with my heart it's you. No matter what the future has to offer, I'll never regret it."

He beamed. Absolutely, positively, beamed.

Then was immediately forced to dodge.

While she had decided that Sora was the only thing she really needed to be happy with this arrangement, she still had to admit it certainly would have been nice for there not to be a demonic entity chasing him around the whole time in the possessed body of their friend as well.

Clearing her throat, she began the first incantation, as best as she could remember from her practicing.

"Within the binding calm of the waters we have entered, to follow in the steps of the countless who came before. Even those made nameless through the march of time will guide our hands, their wisdom ever reaching like the boughs of the mother tree-"

"Hey, Kairi?"

She stuttered to a halt, shocked that he was interrupting her while she was trying her best to recite. The sudden disturbance of her concentration sent her wobbling to the side. While she had nearly lost the energy to stand, she refused to give in completely to the drowsiness that threatened to overpower her. Her light continuing to flicker like a dim candle in the darkness. Weak, but refusing to burn out.

"You said..." He dodged another hit. "That all we needed to do was make a promise to each other, right? I don't understand all the complicated ceremony stuff, so maybe I'm wrong, but...didn't we already do that last night?"

While she knew Sora was too far away to hold her upright, somehow his voice was lending her the strength to stand. He really was like a ray of sunshine through the rain clouds, always managing to break through the stormy confusion that now and again cluttered her mind and heart. It was just like him to complain about things being overly complicated and stuffy, but he was right. He was absolutely right. It was all so obvious the moment he said it, and she smiled.

Maybe it really was that simple. She hadn't even realized it, but he was right.

They had already whispered their loving promises to one another that night. The only witnesses had been the stars and the fireflies: the tiny lights that illuminated the swath of darkness that otherwise covered the land around them. Hushed words, unheard by anyone else but the two who needed to hear them the most.

The vows had already been made.

He already had a piece of her heart.

"Don't you remember, Kairi? My promise was to-"

Riku unleashed another rush of attacks and Sora clicked his tongue in frustration at having to cut himself off and concentrate on evading them again.

"It's alright...I remember. Of course I remember. And I still stand by the promise I made as well."

Cheering, Sora took a step away from Riku until his back bumped up against a large boulder strewn on the cave floor. It was a little childish, but made her giggle all the same that he would have such a reaction. However, her laugh caught in her throat as she saw Riku lunging towards him again. Luckily he saw the dark sword coming straight for him and ducked, scrabbling to get away from his friend before Riku had a chance to free the blade from the tangle of moss it had caught itself in.

"Right! So if that's all it takes to connect us together, I think that's already taken care of! So...maybe I can already borrow your light? How do you think I use it?"

Good question. One she hadn't planned out trying to answer yet.

"It's hard to explain, but...it's something you feel. Maybe...try to search for Riku's heart by remembering how strongly your friendship makes you feel. If there is anyone who can reach him in that darkness, it's you. Find the common thread, connect with his heart and then my light will follow..."

 _I hope._

For his sake, she didn't say that last part out loud.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Was glued to my ps4 for the past few weeks, oops (._.). Won't post any spoilers for the game here, so don't worry. Again, just wanted to establish that I already wrote this chapter before playing through KH3 so any similarities (if there are any) are purely accidental.**

 **I've been fiddling a lot with the chapter length for the remaining parts, trying to split all the finale stuff in more manageable bite-sized chunks. I keep shifting things back and forth so at this point I actually can't say for sure how many chapters are left any more. T_T**

 **Doesn't help that as I edit I keep wanting to write more...**

 **So for anyone keeping track, next chapter won't be the last, like I said before. Sorry for making a liar out of myself. Booo...**

 **Maybe I'll just stop trying to predict the final number so I don't have to keep saying "Just two more! Two more this time for sure!" over and over again ._.  
**

 **Still toying around with possibly doing a short epilogue of sorts...guess I'll see how I feel when I get to the final part. V**

 **-A. Moth**


	22. Ch 22: Once lost

Riku's eyes stared back at him, soulless and empty. It was also getting harder to ignore the heavy feeling growing in his feet. They were like sponges that had soaked up far too much water and were now sloshing around at ten times their normal weight. Every new scratch against his skin burned, and he turned his eyes up helplessly at his friend.

Pleading again wasn't going to do anything.

Sora tried to pretend it was just like one of their regular sparring matches, but it was so hard to ignore the twisting weight in his chest and the unnerving silence between them. Normally Riku would be spouting off advice or even a snarky comment or two whenever they did this sort of thing. At least the pain Sora felt in his heart motivated him to keep going, but dealing with the quiet was...difficult. It only confirmed the taunts echoing in his ears that everything that made Riku, _Riku_ , had truly been buried away somewhere. Sora tried interjecting his own conversation, hoping it would stir his friend to his senses. His every forced comment dropped with an almost audible thunk as Riku refused to answer anything.

The silence only grew.

He knew his friend would never forgive himself if his body was used as a tool to do something... irreversible. Sora was doing his best to prevent that from happening, but the attacks from the dark sword were intense, each blow nearly making his elbows and shoulders rattle as they struggled to absorb the overbearing force. Nothing was held back.

If there was ever a time to end this fight, it was now. And while he wasn't sure where to start, he still couldn't shake the feeling that fighting this darkness and pulling Riku out of its grasp: all of that was something he had done before, a long time ago. Maleficent had even confirmed as much. She had said he had 'meddled'. But for the life of him Sora couldn't remember ever doing that. Surely something that dramatic would stick in the mind without much trouble. Racking through his mind, he tried to recall the foggy memory that was humming softly, just barely prodding at the edges of his consciousness with a familiarity like something he couldn't be sure wasn't merely a dream.

There were a few holes in his memory, especially around some of the more traumatic parts of his past, but the most suspicious of them all was one whole week gap he couldn't remember all the way back before he had even moved into his mom's house the first time. It was a small space of time, evaporated away to nothing, but it left a somewhat glaring hole. It had never really bothered him too much before, but...maybe...

Sora concentrated, reeling backwards through time until his thoughts settled on it: the first solid memory after that mysterious solitary week of fuzzy nothingness. Luckily, that memory in particular was shining and clear. It had been the exact morning Riku had finally lowered the cold wall he had built up around his heart, and finally seemed to accept him as a friend. It was not something he was going to forget, if ever.

The two of them had been just kids when they met, and Riku hadn't exactly given him a warm reception. Riku had even refused to use his name, calling him 'stray' or 'kid' or something equally demeaning...

It was an...admittedly bumpy start to their relationship, but that particular morning had been different.

Sora had woken up, nauseous and groggy like he had caught seven colds at once, to see Riku peering up at him from over the edge of the covers. Startled, Sora had scooched himself backwards so fast he abruptly tumbled right over the edge of the bed with a yelp. The sudden exertion sent him into a massive coughing fit that only exacerbated his raging fever and throat that felt like it was an inside out cactus. He moaned into the floor, miserable and confused. Everything hurt, and his head was so inexplicably jumbled he could barely even figure out which way was up. The last thing he could recall was walking into the dark woods, standing out by some old stump with his hands clamped over his eyes, struggling to remember how to count to one hundred and failing at it. Then, suddenly, he was back at the house feeling absolutely terrible, covered in bruises with Riku worryingly and uncharacteristically fretting over him.

It was the first time Sora had seen his face filled with an emotion other than cold indifference or frustration. Sora still had no idea why that morning Riku had done nothing but endlessly apologize over and over. He just kept saying 'it's my fault, it's my fault you're so sick'. But it really shouldn't have been that big of a deal. It was just a cold.

Sora finally had to tell him to knock it off with saying sorry so much. The truth was, Sora had actually been happy about the whole situation. The way he understood it, if Riku had gotten him sick, that meant the two of them must have been hanging out close enough to get each other sick in the first place. It was a sign they were becoming friends. After Sora had finally managed to groggily explain that to him, well, that had also been the first time he had actually seen Riku cry. But more importantly, from that morning on Riku only ever called him by name. The two of them started to do practically everything together, and Sora couldn't have been more happy. And a few years later, when Riku finally started giving him dumb nicknames again, there was nothing demeaning about it.

Sora had never cared that much before that he didn't know exactly what had happened in the woods and by that stump, but that time must have the answer he was looking for. If he could only remember, he might be able to figure out how to help now. With Kairi's light to help, maybe this time could be the last they ever had to deal with all this dark nonsense.

He took a deep breath and concentrated, remembering what Kairi had told him.

'Find the thread...connect with his heart and then my light will follow…'

Sora wasn't sure how to find Riku's heart in all this mess, but he did the only thing he could: he focused on that one precious memory, and how it felt. It was never good to feel sick, and boy did that particular cold that morning feel terrible, but he could overlook all of that because he knew the pain was only proof the two of them were starting to become family.

It felt the same now. The heaviness in his legs and arms was growing unbearable. It hurt, but it also made him all the more determined. Hopefully someday they could both look back on this and laugh.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could almost feel Riku struggling to reach out to him from whatever dark abyss was keeping him trapped. The memories of that week might be gone, but maybe, just maybe, his heart still knew what to do.

 ** _We are all connected in the river of life. Our memories are also part of the same flow. How else could they have such power over our hearts?_**

Sora blinked, confused. Was...someone talking to him? In his head? He debated for a moment if he should answer back. Before he could come up with anything more coherent than a baffled 'huh?', the voice had already returned.

 _ **Consider this partial repayment.** _

His body froze beneath him and all he could see was a sudden churning rush of bubbles before his eyes, popping and bursting like sparks of light through the abyss of the ocean.

 _Wha-_

* * *

Kairi's arms felt like they had been plunged into ice water, stinging and numb. The shield of light that she had so desperately been trying to maintain began to flicker even more in and out of existence. She could still hear Seifer coldly snickering.

She knew she was reaching the end of her rapidly dwindling energy. Her vision clouded, fading in and out of black.

 _Sora, please hurry…_

As she briefly checked on her knights in the corner she was only filled with terrified horror. Darkness was pooling at their feet, streaming from out of Riku's body and collecting around their ankles. Rather than stepping out of its reach or trying to escape, Sora was swaying as if transfixed, right in the thick of it. Waves of inky smoke clawed their way up his body, the dark pool below threatening to yank him into its depths.

 _N-no..._

Desperate, she took one hesitant step in his direction and suddenly felt the cave spin.

The ground flew up to hit her in the face and she gasped, accidentally inhaling bits of sand. Coughing, she tried to pull herself upright, but her arms were nothing but dead weight on her body. She could only shakily roll to the side enough to peek at the hazy world around her as it melted and faded in and out of focus.

The shield of light that was keeping Seifer trapped flickered and burst. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't muster up a single spark to keep it going. Her whole body felt paralyzed and stiff, tears just barely squeezing their way out of the corners of her eyes in spite of her exhaustion.

Seifer burst into gleeful laughter, taking a step towards the two knights. While Riku had at least temporarily halted the furious swinging of his sword, she knew nothing good could come from the stream of darkness still pouring out. Sora was also still frozen right in the thick of it in some kind of daydream-like haze, utterly defenseless. Trapped. Why wasn't he trying to escape? What was he doing!?

"N...ot...op..."

She tried to choke out a warning, a desperate plea, _something_ , but it only fell garbled into the sand. But despite the incoherence, Seifer understood. He didn't even have to respond, just sneer in her direction to taunt her as he slowly raised his arm. The swarming torrent of darkness, by Seifer's command, shot towards Sora's ensnared body like a shower of spears.

She had nothing left, all her energy already spent. Pinching her eyes shut, she uttered one desperate plea into the invisible nothingness around her. Somehow she could still feel the coursing pull of that wonderful yet invisible river.

In her mind she imagined herself plunging her hand into the trickling waters of a forest stream that coursed unabated across the surface of the world, unstopping, unchanging. She could feel its energy surging between her fingers, pulsing with the emotions of everyone connected to it.

 _Please...I can't do it on my own..._

To her surprise, she heard a voice crystal clear answering her back, as light and cheerful as a chirping sparrow.

 ** _'Miss Kairi, you really needn't worry so._** ** _Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I'm not here. I'm quite fond of you all, and_** ** _would be quite miserable to idly sit by and let fate play its hand without the tiniest bit of interference...'_**

Kairi nearly inhaled a gasp full of sand once more and coughed.

 _That voice...you're-_

 ** _'It's no wonder you are fond of that boy. He is something quite special, isn't he? I've given him a way in, and I trust he will make the most of it. Until then, please take a well-deserved respite.'_**

All at once something golden shot into the air from Seifer's general direction, bursting in the air with a shower of sparks like some kind of firework. He stumbled away, yelping in surprise. Temporarily distracted, the spear-like vines he was controlling slumped to the ground and wiggled about without direction like worms squirming under a noon sun.

Maleficent only curled her lips into a smile and said nothing.

The sparks in the air shimmered and reformed into the shape of a magnificent golden sparrow which swooped straight towards the two knights half consumed in the blackness. As it fluttered through the air, bright golden feathers tumbled from its body, scattering themselves through the air where they drifted gently in place, refusing to fall. It took Seifer only a moment to recover from his surprise, but as he once more tried to launch his assault, the various scattered feathers floating through the air reacted to the dark tendrils. Each time as one rose up to strike, a feather would charge towards it and burst into a shower of light, instantly dissolving the reaching finger of darkness that threatened to draw closer.

In awe, Kairi watched as the sparrow darted between the vines, shedding more magical barriers in the form of those small golden feathers.

 ** _"Kairi! Don't give up!"_**

A new voice echoed through her head, one she could immediately recognize.

 _...Namine?_

Her cousin's soft voice was trembling, far less sure, but its sincerity was clear.

 ** _"Yes. We are all here, wanting to help. I know it isn't much, but in this brief time while our hearts are connected, I'll give you all the strength I can. Save them, please!"_**

Kairi could feel the wind on her face, as if she was that sparrow, darting across the sky, freedom just under her fingertips. Ever so slowly, the warmth softly crept back into her cold, heavy fingers. The feeling was still faint, but even the smallest amount was a relief.

Would there be enough time for this gift to turn the tides? She wasn't sure, but all she could do was trust in the others for now.

 _...please..._

* * *

"Hey punching bag, you got some blood on my shoe. Maybe I should make you lick it off. Whaddaya think, guys?"

Snooty laughter filled the air, and Riku knew from the sound immediately who was going to be in that clearing. It was that gang of miscreants lead by the Leblanc brothers. While Riku picked fights with nearly anyone who stood against him, their group was always the most obstinate no matter how many times he had to teach them a lesson. Not only that, but they were never against using underhanded tactics. Cheaters and losers, the lot of them.

Were they going to be in for a nasty surprise. With his new power there was no way they would stand a chance against him.

 _H-huh?...what is...? Riku?_

Riku moved towards the edge of the sandy pit, immediately seeing the gang circled around something in the center of the clearing near the old stump. They were taking turns kicking it, laughing like it was all wholesome good fun. But Riku knew better. He ducked behind a thick fern and listened closely, trying to read the situation.

One of the two Leblanc brothers, the much portlier Ormi bent over, howling with mirth. "Give it up, twerp! He ain't comin' to save ya. So you might as well cooperate. Go on, tell us. You gotta know _somethin'_! What is his weakness?"

"Cause it sure as hell ain't you!" A wheezy voice snickered like he had told the most brilliant one-liner of his life.

No one else found it amusing, apparently, and the wheezy-voiced brat began to sulk.

Ormi's brother joined in on the grumbling. "It sucks. Thought we could use this scrawny thing as blackmail, but it really seems like he got trashed. If we can at least get him to squeal about _something_ , then all the time spent in this creepy place won't be a total loss."

There was the distinct sound of a boot striking something solid and more laughter from the gang of cronies. "Come on you useless lump, I don't wanna come back out here again. Three days is enough, I'm sick of these woods."

"I can't believe he never runs away. Maybe he likes gettin' beat up."

"Maybe he's just stupid."

"Hah! Yeah." The sound of another kick, harder this time. "Had enough for today? Why are you protecting that punk anyway, huh? He sure don't care about you! He threw you out like garbage!"

For the first time, Riku heard his voice. Even though it was raspy and weak, Riku knew immediately who it belonged to.

"He's my friend...promised..."

"You really are as dumb as a rock. Idiot!"

The last kick sounded harsher than all the others, and Riku had finally heard enough. He had a fairly good idea how exactly how many were in the clearing now, and more than anything he wanted to test out his new strength.

"Hey. Leave him alone."

While he knew from the sounds of it, things hadn't been going well for the little stray, he hadn't expected it to be so gut-wrenching to look at. Flecks of blood covered the ground along with what definitely looked like a baby tooth or two. Collapsed on the ground, clothes ripped and soiled, his face was absolutely covered in smears of mud and tears. Riku swallowed, feeling an unfamiliar rage burning inside.

How dare they. That was _his_ idiot.

 _Wait, is that...me? This must be the past.  
_

 _And if I can hear Riku's thoughts...does that mean this is his_ _memory?_

 _But how am I inside his memory?_

 ** _I already told you. It's a partial repayment._**

 _Well, sure but that doesn't exactly...it's still kinda weird..._

 ** _Sora, dear, you need to stop questioning things so much and just observe.  
_**

 _Wh-...o-okay...  
_

"Would you lookit that, Logos? Riku did actually show up!"

The ringleader scoffed and narrowed his eyes. "Took his sweet time. Don't tell me you are actually here for the wimp? Because he's ours now."

Just to accent the point, Logos stamped his boot down on the vulnerable head next to him, pressing it into the dirt. The stray tried to speak, but the ground muffled his words. Instead of being able to talk, he miserably coughed, sending a little cloud of gritty sand away from his mouth.

Riku did his best to keep his face as stiff and emotionless as possible, not sure why it was so hard.

It had never been so hard before.

"What is he to you, anyway?"

"He's trash." Logos stomped his boot down harder, eliciting a faint whimper from his victim. "But he might tell us something valuable, you never know. Everyone has a breaking point."

Riku paused to look at him, feeling another ping of something heavy and clenching inside his chest but he shelved the emotion to instead focus on the Leblanc brothers. His enemy. It was time to make them regret all of this.

"I'd be more concerned about your own breaking point right now. You see, I was chosen to receive a very special gift. I could _tell_ you, but it will be so much more fun to show you. Watch this."

Lifting one arm, he concentrated, drawing on the bubbling fountain of rage now boiling inside of him. Inky black darkness poured out from his fingertips, easily ensnaring the wheezy-voiced boy from earlier around the neck and lifting him up into the air.

The darkness hurled him effortlessly against a nearby tree and something audibly cracked. The boy tumbled to the ground, moaning, clutching his now strangely bent arm close to his body. Riku stared at his own arm in wonder. It had been so easy. So, so easy.

None of them stood a chance against him. Not a single one of them.

He almost wanted to laugh.

 _No..._

 _This has to be a dream...it can't be real, right? It's too terrible..._

Riku strode forward with a deathly serious glare on his face, waiting for the next kid to get in his way. When none approached, he instead directed his attention to the ashen faced wispy boy just to his right and sent him crashing through the bushes without a thought. All the others were gaping back, wide-eyed and terrified.

And in a split second, the gang scattered like ants from under a suddenly uplifted rock, leaving the stray behind in their wake. As they fled, they called him all sorts of things: a demon, a monster, but none of it mattered. They were just jealous.

It felt good. Really good.

Slowly, the injured boy sat up out of the dirt and locked eyes with him. Riku expected him to be sobbing, gratefully blubbering his thanks for being saved. It wouldn't be that bad to get a little praise again about how impressive his new powers were, too. The kid always did like fawning over him like a little puppy.

What Riku wasn't expecting was the steely expression glaring back at him without the faintest trace of fear.

 _The more I see, the more I..._

 _It's all too...familiar. This can't just be a dream._

Riku faltered at the piercing blue gaze burning into him, and suddenly found his voice caught. He had to clear his throat to unstick it enough to speak.

"H-hey."

There was a light dribble of blood leaking from the stray's mouth down to his chin, but he made no effort to wipe it away, or even make a move.

Guilt bubbled up even stronger inside of his throat and Riku swallowed. His throat had run dry. Suddenly, it didn't seem so fun anymore.

"Did you seriously stay here this whole time? For six days? Even when those guys started...why didn't you run away?"

There was no response to any of Riku's questions. The kid just kept quietly blinking, his eyes slightly furrowed as if struggling to do some sort of calculation in his head.

Riku paused briefly before reluctantly offering the kid his hand. "Anyway, I rescued you so let's head back to-"

"No."

Wheezing, the tattered and bruised boy attempted to stand, grasping for a very broken stick with the whole upper third dangling uselessly off the end. He must have been using it earlier to unsuccessfully defend himself. All his efforts to stand were wasted as he slumped heavily to the ground in an instant. Grunting, he tried again, and once he had successfully gotten to his feet, began raising up his flimsy stick like a weapon.

Riku narrowed his eyes, equally confused and impressed that the kid could even do that much in his condition.

"What? Don't you want to come with me? I thought you hated being alone."

The boy's eyes trembled and he shook his head furiously, struggling to take a step towards Riku with his small and broken stick still raised as if it was going to even do anything.

"I do hate it. I hate being alone so much."

"Then why are you trying to fight me? Is it...because you hate _me_? You hate me after what I did to you?"

The boy shivered and a different sort of rage started to simmer inside of Riku's heart. He knew it. That kid was just like all the others after all. Everyone always ended up hating him in the end. This is why he had decided being alone was always easier.

"That's it, isn't it!? You hate me more than being alone! Just admit it!"

 _Riku...you were so scared to trust anyone..._

The stray shook his head rapidly back and forth, scattering small drops of blood across the dirt from the wounds he still refused to tend.

"I don't hate you! Y-you just need some sense knocked into you, you big dummy!"

Big talk, for someone so pathetic. Riku scoffed and crossed his arms, not even moved by the threat. "You have some nerve, calling me that."

"O-only a dummy uses that dark stuff to hurt people! If you keep using it...it'll change you. And Riku won't be Riku any more. So..." The stray gripped his useless wooden excuse for a weapon and tried to look fierce, but it was obvious he was struggling to stop his tears. "So I'm gonna do whatever I can to knock that bad stuff out of you!"

Ugh, this kid really didn't understand anything. The 'bad stuff' was Riku's weapon to control. It was going to serve _him_. It was his destiny, the sorceress had said. Besides, how often was beating problems down with a stick useful?

"And you really think that's going to accomplish something?"

"I...I dunno, but I have to try!"

He rushed forward, but Riku deftly sidestepped and watched him crash to the ground with a heavy thud. Not only was he clumsy, his injuries were making him even slower than normal.

Riku leaned down to look him in the eyes. "Hey stray, I've got a question-"

Picking himself up out of the dirt, the boy yelled and charged again. This time Riku stuck out his foot and tripped him, watching him roll head over heels before settling into the dirt with a groan. Riku expected this to be the end of it, but the kid once more rose back up to his feet. It took less than no effort at all to trip him yet again.

Riku rolled his eyes at how lame he looked. He was nothing. Worthless. Riku had no idea why he had even bothered coming to find him in the woods in first place. It would have been better to have just left him to rot.

 _This is a little hard to hear..._

 _I know it's before we were really friends, and he doesn't really mean it, but still..._

 ** _Do you want me to make it stop?_**

 _No..._

 _It's hard right now, but...I need to see this._

 _Besides! Like I said, it's obvious Riku is a little mixed up inside right now._

 _I'm not taking it too personally, don't worry._

 ** _I wasn't worried._**

 _Oh..._

 ** _Because I have every confidence in you._**

 _I...think that's a compliment, so...thanks! I guess..._

The fight, if it could even be called that, dragged on and on. No matter how many times Riku knocked him down, the kid always kept struggling to his feet to charge again. He was more stubborn than an angry centipede, but unlike a centipede he had absolutely no control over his own legs and was tripping himself up almost more than Riku was.

"Just stop it already."

"No!"

Riku rolled his eyes again with a groan. This was starting to get annoying.

"Look, I just want the answer to one question then I'm out of here. Why is it that you insist on chasing me around everywhere? It's pathetic!"

The kid coughed, winced and shakily got back up, but tumbled over his own feet. For a moment only he gathered his breath, propping himself up on his hands and knees.

"I...know how awful it feels...to be all alone." A few loose tears splashed down to the sand and he sniffed. "But then I learned how great friends could be. S-so I wanted to help you. That's why. Because you were...you are really lonely, Riku. And you don't want to be. No one should be lonely."

They were simple words, but all at once Riku felt like something heavy had just dropped into his stomach. The realization was like something gripping him around the chest, constricting it. He wanted to try and laugh it off, but realized nothing was coming out.

"T-that's a lie!" He forced the words out. Ripped them from his throat. "I don't need anyone! Especially not you!"

 _Riku..._

The boy shook his head again slowly, attempting to rise from the ground one more time. His bright blue eyes, marred by pain, were still shining back so earnestly.

How long ago had Riku buried those feelings? Stuffed them so far down he could forget they were even there? And yet somehow this idiot of a kid had taken one look at him and had seen it all. From the very beginning, this whole time, that idiot wanted to befriend him just so that Riku wouldn't have to feel lonely any more?

It had to be a joke...

It was...

"T-that's why you're being a big dummy!"

Gawking, Riku was taken by complete surprise as the kid hurled his useless stick to the side and pounced on him like some sort of feral animal, sending them both rolling across the dirt. Every time Riku pushed back or tried to sit up, he was immediately yanked and shoved down to the ground by the spiky haired ball of seemingly endless energy.

"If you keep using the dark stuff it'll take you over completely. I've seen it happen before. Then you'll just be lonely forever and ever!"

Riku finally let himself be pinned down for the last time, both of them dusty now from all the mess kicked up in their struggle. Even though the boy's frail body wasn't very strong, it felt like the weight of the entire sky was bearing down on him and Riku gulped, stunned.

"I...is that true?"

"Of course it's true! Do you really want a future like that!?"

"But I need it so I...so I can be the strongest..."

"You already are strong! But no matter how much you fight it's never gonna be good enough for you." The tiny body thumped him hard into the ground again. "I think you are so lonely you think if everyone respects you it'll make you feel less alone. That's why you keep running around all over the place trying to beat all those other kids up but that's never gonna make you feel good no matter how many fights you get into!"

Riku felt his words rain down on him like a torrent, not moving once. "I..."

"You aren't looking for strength, you're looking for a friend. And I wanna be your friend so stop trying to push me away!"

"My...friend..."

"Yeah! I'll do whatever it takes to get that message to you, even if I have to fight you myself to finally get it into your head!"

While it was a harsh scolding, there was a pervasive warmth to it, and a kindness that Riku couldn't ignore. All at once the guilt of the past six days all bubbled to the surface as he realized exactly why he had been anxiously waiting for the kid to return, and why he set out looking for him when he didn't return. Riku had tried telling himself it was annoying how endlessly cheerful he was, but that bright smile had been so comforting it was almost painful when it was gone.

How long had Riku been all alone, jealous of those who could so easily make friends? How long had he been left standing, idly waiting for friends to call his own as that jealousy and loneliness compounded more and more into anger at the constant rejection. Everyone eventually found him mean, or cold, and inevitably left him behind. He had tried to tell himself it was just because those people were simply inferior and not worth his time. Eventually he just stopped trying.

Until suddenly an absolute nobody had dropped in on his life, shockingly eager and excited to be a part of it. It had frightened him even more. Of course this one would give up like all the others. Of course. In anticipation, Riku had only ever treated him like the mess of dirt that now nearly covered them both.

How utterly wrong he was.

"...You don't have to fight me. I get it."

He felt the pit in his stomach growing larger and he could only turn his eyes away from the sky blue ones still gazing down at him.

"Sora, about the promise I made you...I'm sorry...I lied, back then."

There was no way after everything that this kid would ever forgive him, and he pinched his eyes shut in shame.

"I wasn't planning on ever coming back for you. The whole time I was going to leave yo-"

"I know."

Riku's eyes popped back open. "You...knew!? And you still stayed here!?"

The guilt weighed even heavier now.

As improbable as it was, the kid actually laughed. But Sora always did seem to laugh even at the most improbable of times. "I promised I would. Promises with my friends are more important to me than anything."

Sora sat up a little, finally unpinning Riku's arms, offering him a huge smile.

"That, and...I figured you'd come back eventually. You might do rude stuff now and again 'cuz you wanna look cool, but I think more than anything you wanna try to do the right thing."

What really _was_ this kid? He was kinda dumb, sure, but he wasn't dumb about everything.

Riku gaped up at him in shock.

 _Heh, I guess I'll take that as a compliment..._

Sora laughed again, bright and cheery, and did his best to bounce up to his feet. It took a few tries. Once he got his balance, he reached a heavily dirt-smudged hand down to his friend and burst into a wide grin. For the first time that day, Riku felt a wash of relief sweeping across his body like the cold refreshing rush of jumping into a river on a hot summer day.

Maybe, just maybe, he really could reject the loneliness that had for so long clawed at the inside of his heart. Maybe this time...

Riku reached up towards him. Something fluttered past his vision like the shadow of a raven.

And just as suddenly, it was all so, so wrong.

Riku didn't remember even trying to call the dark energy back out, but horrible dark vines had already twisted their way up his arm, constricting around their target mercilessly. Sora's eyes popped open wide in shock as thin wisps of darkness acted like a predatory snake, tightening around his neck. He choked, struggling and kicking to desperately rip their hold off of him. Nothing was working. Tears streamed down his face as he slowly began to fall limp, crushed almost effortlessly under the force of hatred assaulting him.

"R-Riku, h-hel..."

 _That's right. I remember now.  
_

 _My memory blinked this whole time out..._

 ** _I'm so sorry._  
**

 _Huh? Why are you apologizing?  
_

 ** _..._**

"S-stop!" Horrified, Riku dug his fingers into the squishy tendrils with his fingernails, desperately trying to dislodge them. "Let him go!"

Riku had always prided himself on staying cool and calculating even under stress, but just seeing Sora so suddenly having the life ripped from his body was only filling Riku with the worst panic he had ever felt. He struggled to gain control over his terrified thoughts, screaming at the dark monster inside of him.

Somehow, something in that darkness begrudgingly acquiesced and hurled its prey down into the dirt. Sora gasped, fingers clutching and dragging weak lines through the dirt as he took a few labored, rattling breaths. Riku felt the panic return as he struggled to dismiss the darkness seeping from his arm.

It wasn't listening to him anymore. It bubbled and shot out from his fingers, pain surging up to his elbow. His whole hand went numb and Riku trembled, terrified.

"W-what's happening to me!"

The vines hissed and once more snatched the boy lying limp on the ground. Almost gleefully they continued to try and squeeze the life out of him no matter how much Riku shouted at it to stop.

Sora coughed and trembled, his eyes starting to cross, hazy and unfocused. The one arm he was using to try and fight off the grip around his neck fell listlessly to his side.

 _When it was gripping me like that, I remember feeling_ _this horrible loneliness everywhere._

 _It felt like Riku's fear of being rejected had come alive to attack me._

 _I think it wanted me gone because I was offering him friendship._

 _I suppose that's the one thing that can destroy that loneliness, right?_

 _...uh, voice lady? Are you still there?_

 ** _..._**

A voice, dark and amused laughed in the back of Riku's mind.

"Loneliness is a wonderful source of power. You don't have to share it with anyone. Besides, being alone isn't so bad, is it? I thought you preferred it. It's quiet. Peaceful solitude."

 _Wait, Riku! Don't listen to that voice!_

"Get out of my head!" Riku clawed at his own arm once more, feeling more hot tears pricking the edges of his eyes. "I never asked for this! I don't want it!"

"All the power of the world and you'd reject it for a little pest? Wasn't he only ever a nuisance anyway? A loser? Isn't it better to do his pathetic existence a kindness and just erase him from the world?"

 _Keep fighting it! I'm right here with you, too!_

Riku could feel the loneliness calling out to him as it desired nothing more than to smother the one person who could actually pull him up out of its thrall. Swallowing heavily, Riku glared at his own arm, wanting nothing more than to tear it off. Tugging and ripping at the sticky mess bubbling around his shoulder, Riku screamed, feeling it yank on his core as if it was rooted into his heart.

"For the last time I don't want this kind of power any more! Leave Sora alone! He's my friend and I won't let you hurt him!"

The darkness rattled as if injured, loosening its grip ever so slightly. Still dangling within the twisted vines, but thankfully at least able to breathe, Sora also seemed stunned at his dramatic assertion. In the brief window of opportunity, Sora pried at the vines around his neck.

"D-don't worry, Riku. I'll help you!"

Everything was filled with the smell of rust, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. Darkness, it seemed, smelled quite musty. Riku turned a desperate expression up at his friend. Despite the despair, there was something else that Riku could sense; something far more pleasant. It was like a soothingly warm breeze. Relaxing and so mundane it almost slipped beneath his radar. Riku wondered if this was what it felt like to feel the comfort of another person reaching out to aid him amidst the putrid stench of loneliness.

Sora was wincing, as if in pain, and somehow the darkness began starting to shrink and shrivel away. It was only then that Riku realized exactly what Sora was doing.

Writhing in pain from it, Sora was letting the very darkness hold him captive begin to seep into his own body. He took huge gulps of the stuff, cramming as much of it in as he could and Riku gawked.

"Stop it! Are you crazy!?"

"Loneliness...growing into pain..." Sora sagged, gasping for air. "Friends can share pain with each other...to make it...better..."

 _That's right...no matter how horrible the days of Darkfall were..._

 _Without my friends I would never have made it on my own._

 _We helped each other through the worst of it, even though it hurt to relive painful things again and again..._

In a complete reversal, rather than fight and push against the darkness, Sora was hugging it in an even tighter embrace, trying to force it into his own heart. Squirming, the darkness tried to slither out of the boy's tight grip but he was absolutely smothering it.

The scent of summer, like a faint sea breeze comforted him, and Riku could finally sense the outer fringes of the darkness. In his mind he could almost feel himself grasping it with his fingers, tearing the saturated roots away from his heart.

"I have a friend now! I don't need you!"

With one final exhausted roar, Riku sank down to his knees, the darkness sending searing pain across his whole body. It offered its own cry of despair before fading to nothing. Riku collapsed, but refused to succumb to sleep. As his eyes shakily focused across the ground, he searched for where Sora had fallen.

He was lying like a broken doll on the sand, breath rattling in his half crushed lungs, already bruised and beaten from days of torment. With whatever remnants of energy left, he began retching out globs of sticky darkness into the sand.

Riku tried stumbling to his feet but crashed into the ground, sudden fatigue making his feet drag behind him. His entire body was also covered in small paper-thin cuts, but he didn't care about that right now.

"Hey! Are you okay!? Answer me! Sora!" Riku yanked him up by the shoulders and tried to shake an answer out.

Sora's head flopped a bit to the side and he weakly gasped, the faintest of smiles on his face.

"You said before you didn't care about...my name..."

There was a horrible looking injury on his shoulder where the thorns had pierced his skin multiple times. Thankfully each strike hadn't been all that deep, but after all the other injuries it was obvious that Sora was suffering and barely staying conscious.

"You called me...by my..."

Riku gritted his teeth, doing his best to hoist him up. "Come on, let's go."

Thinking further on it, he paused, then decided to correct himself. "Let's go home together this time...Sora."

Hearing his name again seemed to bring him an inordinate amount of joy and he cheered, sagging into his friend with a sigh.

"You aren't...lonely any more?"

"No."

He felt even breathing against his side. Riku wasn't even sure if Sora was still conscious anymore. He was mumbling softly, but somehow, despite all his injuries there was a light smile on his face like he had no cares in the world.

And quite a lot of things in Riku's world made far more sense.

"I promise...I won't ever push you away again. I mean it this time."

 _I know._

* * *

The twittering sound of a swallow could be heard echoing from some distant place.

Sora stared out into the void of nothing in front of his eyes, wondering if he was still looking through Riku's memory, or if his consciousness was nowhere altogether.

"Sora...? Is that you?"

Hearing his friend's voice prompted him to try and look around to find where Riku was, but the action itself was pointless. There was nothing to see. He had never considered before what nothingness would look like. It wasn't black, it was just...nothing.

"I...think so?"

"You _think_ so? Aren't you the one in _my_ head? If either of us is deserving of an identity crisis right now..."

Sora couldn't help but laugh. Even though nothing made sense, at least Riku was still Riku in this place.

"Yeah, sorry...I'm just confused about what's going on. Did you see the same thing I did? That memory and stuff?"

"Yep. So that confirms to me, at least, that you really were creeping on my past memories just now. I distinctly remembered that scene with far less...commentary."

"I didn't mean to!"

There was a slightly heavy silence for a moment, and Sora once more heard the light twitter of a bird somewhere, slightly closer this time.

"...After that time in the woods...well, it was pretty obvious once you woke up back at my house that you had somehow forgotten nearly everything that happened in the forest."

"Sorry..."

"It's fine. To be honest, I had been kind of glad about that. I should have told you, but it was...hard. I did my best to forget it myself."

"Riku, it's okay."

"No, it's not really. I used to think some...horrible things about you. I really didn't deserve half of the compassion I got."

Even though Sora couldn't see him, something about the way the atmosphere shifted made him aware exactly how guilty his friend was feeling about it all. But dwelling on past mistakes wasn't necessary, especially not when they had darkness to take down.

"I'm not mad about any of that past stuff. Trust me, you've more than made up for it already. The important thing is to figure out how to stop this thing controlling you now."

"I...even though I never wanted to hurt you again...I promised myself I would always be there to keep you safe."

Riku always tried so hard to be strong. It was something Sora had always kind of admired about him. And now, hearing his friend's voice actually break slightly in this invisible void only motivated him even more. If Riku was asking for help, he couldn't back down now.

"Well this time I'm gonna help you! That's why I came here! Er...wherever _here_ is...not that I actually know _how_ I got here either, but uh..."

"Heh. Some things won't ever change with you, will they?"

It was good to hear him laughing, even just a bit.

"I dunno if I'm right or not, but from just seeing that memory I remembered the feelings that came with it. The darkness felt so full of pain. I think those seeds grow and gather energy using the pain of whoever it takes over. I'm not sure what it might be feeding off of you this time, but..."

"Guilt." Riku answered so succinctly it sent a shiver up his spine.

"I already told you, it's okay! We're gonna work this out together!"

Sora felt the atmosphere tremble around him, and the mysterious swallow suddenly stopped singing.

"I think...when someone is completely steeped in pain it's hard to see the way out. And no matter how much I might wanna save you, bashing my head against it isn't really going to accomplish much but get us both tired. But even the worst pain, if shared between friends, could become something manageable. That's how we beat it last time, right? So that's what I'm gonna do this time, too."

 ** _You've found it. That's the answer. I'm glad this power of mine could be helpful in the end._**

The twittering of the bird sounded as if it was right next to his ear.

"Hey! It's you again! Who are you, anyway?"

A light giggle.

 _ **You really don't know? My, my...**_

 ** _Nevertheless, remember this:_**

 ** _All it takes is a friend to step in and share in the pain._**

 _ **Perhaps that combined strength may be enough to tip the scales.**_

 _ **For now, and for the near future.**_

Sora tipped his head to the side, wondering if it was actually someone speaking to him, a bird, or some kind of magical spirit being. Perhaps it didn't matter. But for some reason, even though he couldn't see what it looked like, he still had the distinct impression it was swallow shaped.

Wherever the source, a little bird had passed along her message loud and clear.

* * *

Riku once more wrestled with the dark chains holding him hostage. Trapped in his own heart, unable to prevent what was happening to the world outside as he felt his body being twisted and manipulated out of his will. Once more a wave of guilt rushed through him and as much as he tried to swallow it back, the darkness bubbled out of him all the more.

But even in that place of hopelessness, Riku sensed that same peaceful sunlit breeze on the air, and knew he wasn't alone.

Ripping at the chains that bound him, Riku could once more feel the light breeze of comfort that Sora's presence had brought with it. Not only that, but sweeping along side it was the warm sense of light close behind. It played warmly across his face, gentle and soft, with the barely discernible floral scent of roses drifting within it. The chains faded under the gaze of the light, like they were nothing more than a mere shadow dissipated by the sun.

Not only was the darkness spreading thin, the mysterious light that accompanied the change was erasing every trace of that cursed seed from inside of him, burning it from the inside out.

He felt his consciousness drifting upwards, rising from its slumber, and he couldn't help but smile. No matter what anyone ever said about Sora being worthless merely because he had no fancy title to his name or because he failed his exams once or twice clearly didn't understand a thing.

None of that mattered in the slightest.

* * *

Sora felt the sand, coarse against his cheek and shifted his face to the side, trying to get a fresh gulp of air that wasn't laced with little gritty bits. Darkness still pooled in rancid puddles around him, his arms still a bit sticky from where it clung to him. His chest still felt tight and the heavy sense of dread and guilt was still weighing him down. It also felt like something had seriously pulled the muscles in his neck and he winced as he tried to sit up and check on everyone.

Riku was in much of the same position as him, struggling to shake the final dregs of pain and guilt from off his body. Silently, he reached over and patted Sora on the shoulder, his face nothing short of exhausted relief.

Brushing the last bits of pesky moist sand off his face, Sora noticed several feathers of an unnaturally bright gold color scattered around them. There was the slight flutter of movement and out of the corner of his eye he briefly saw the shape of a bird rustling off towards the sky somewhere before fading away in a spark of light.

He didn't have much time to contemplate it.

From the back corner of the cavern, Sora could hear infuriated spluttering. Seifer was kneeling in the sand, gawking at the two of them with an ashen expression.

"No, no, no...how!? That bird was...it was my..."

Rather than speak, Maleficent also had her eyes locked on them. It was unnerving as she stood there, saying nothing but smiling strangely.

It took Sora a moment to realize that Kairi's light was no longer sealing the darkness off around the two of them and he panicked, scanning the surrounding area.

 _Where is she? Where, where, where..._

Just like nearly everyone else, she was collapsed on the sand in an exhausted heap. It was far too soon for his already punished body to even contemplate standing, let alone running, but he forced it anyway, rushing to her side.

Somehow he made it, tripping across the uneven ground almost more than he took actual steps. Cold. Ice cold. Sora couldn't even describe how much he hated how cold her hand was, and he gripped it tightly, wishing his own wasn't so dirty. He gathered the rest of Kairi's body up under his arm so he could very gently jostle her while calling out her name.

"Kairi, wake up, please..."

In immediate response, Kairi's eyes fluttered open and settled on him, a faint smile bringing the lightest spark of life into her tired expression.

He brushed the side of his face against his sleeve to dry it as fast as possible so he could see her eyes clearly once more.

"Kairi, I was...I'm sorry I took so long, I..."

"Riku is...?"

"He's back. We're both okay."

Her eyes slipped back closed for a moment as she nodded, her sigh soft, yet full of so much relief.

"I almost used too much...but Ellone and Namine, they helped... If I can only have another minute to rest, I think I'll be able to..."

Sora wasn't sure what she meant by Ellone and Namine, since he was pretty sure they were still up in the castle, but it didn't bother him too much not understanding. She was okay and that was all that mattered.

"Don't worry, just leave it to us for a little bit. After all, Riku is better now! He'll help me out."

"Wow, thanks for asking me first."

Sarcasm was a sure sign that Riku was feeling better.

Happy to hear his friend back in normal spirits, but not wanting him to get away with that kind of remark completely, Sora shrugged jovially back over to him. "Oh? You _don't_ wanna swoop in to save the day? That's new. Aren't you supposed to be 'the Dawnbreaker' or something?"

"Tch, watch it. Are we forgetting that you're the one who has always loved being overly dramatic? I could remind you of a few times if your memory is too hazy."

Laughing, Sora gave Kairi's hand one more reassuring squeeze and laid her back down onto the sand so she could rest more easily.

"I know you're just messing with me, but when this is all over I wouldn't actually mind sitting around chatting about all the stupid stuff we used to do. It's embarrassing, but..."

Kairi shifted a bit in the sand and smiled up at him. "That's what friends are for?"

"Yeah!" Sora cast a quick smile back over his shoulder at Riku who was finally stumbling his way over to meet them, but his mood immediately crumbled when he saw how noticeably sullen Riku's expression was.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"You've already forgiven everything so easily, but...I still-"

Sora was already poised to interject, but before he could even start Kairi jabbed a very exhausted hand out towards Riku's direction, forcing him to lean back a bit to give her room. She seemed just as furious to retort, so Sora let her take the floor.

"Stop it right there, you. We are all here together now, that's all that matters. Every single one of us has made mistakes that could have cost us everything. But we are all still here because each one of us refused to let the others fall. I was always the one trying to suppress my heart, refusing to accept the truth around me, and since I've known him Sora is always off rushing headfirst into far too much without thinking..."

She cast her eyes over in his direction and mouthed a quick 'sorry', but he laughed it off with a shrug.

"It's true." He tipped his head to signal that it was okay for her to continue.

"The way I see it, Riku...perhaps your mistake was once being blinded by pride or greed for power, but that isn't so terrible. It was just a mistake. You've never once stopped supporting us because of our mistakes, so of course we can forgive yours, don't you think?"

Riku sighed, his face starting to relax, thankfully no longer awash with guilt.

Grinning, Sora jabbed Riku in the stomach with a grin. "She's right. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll accept exactly one pastry from Claire's bakery as repayment. No more, no less."

Riku swatted his hand away, smiling ever so slightly. "Fine. But if I'm buying I get to choose the flavor."

Oh...that wasn't good. Probably meant he was going to pick something disgusting with dried fruits in it. Sora frowned, trying not to look too disappointed.

"So, uh...I know you already agreed to it but can I add a teeny little revision on the deal? No raisins?"

Riku chuckled and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes upward dramatically, as he pretended to consider. "Hmm..."

Meaning no.

Sora pouted a bit, but jerked a bit in surprise when a hand lightly bopped the top of his head. He glanced up and blinked a few times just to be sure. It was actually kinda rare to see Riku smile like that.

"Just this once, I'll allow it. No raisins." Riku then flicked a quick gesture over towards Seifer's sword, which was still stabbed point-down in the sand where he had left it. "One thing we gotta sort out first...and I don't suppose you have another weapon other than that one lying around?"

"...Nope." Sora shrugged and pointed to the lone blade in the sand. "Coin flip to see who gets to use it?"

"...seriously?"

Kairi giggled into the back of her hand at the two of them. It was good there was at least some cheer still going around, given the circumstances.

There was still Seifer to save, and still the darkness to stop. Hopefully that little songbird was right, and having them all there together would be enough this time.

Stand together, and face the torrent of darkness hand-in-hand. It wasn't the most detailed plan, but Sora liked the sound of it very much.


	23. Ch 23: Chosen Path

There was only rage and confusion in his friend's eyes.

Sora kind of understood. He was also feeling a whole jumble of things as he stared back across the stretch of sand that separated him and Seifer. His stomach was a knot of everything mish-mashed together and it felt...well, it felt not good. A mix of nausea, frustration, anxiety yet somehow in the midst of all that, hope.

He wasn't quite sure how to express anything, so his only outlet at the moment was rapping lightly at the side of his leg with an idle finger. Didn't accomplish much, but it helped with the swirling buildup of energy coursing around inside.

Part of him was still furious, he wasn't going to kid himself about that, but before he could channel anything into any sort of reprimand, his jaw clamped up and nothing came out. It felt far too wrong to yell. Seifer just needed help too, after all. That didn't make it any easier to set aside all the other emotions rattling around inside, though.

Besides, no matter what Sora _wanted_ to say, how was he even supposed to break the ice with this sort of thing in the first place? Awkwardly interjecting with a 'hey, so about that murderous rampage master plan thingy you had...' didn't exactly seem like the best idea.

Flip-flop went his thoughts. Just like a fish, splash-sploshing around. Clearly it didn't help that in the uncomfortable silence all he could hear was the distracting and repetitive patter of water dripping somewhere far back in the cavern.

As much as he didn't know what to say, and as jumbled as everything felt, Sora knew he had to help _somehow_. Standing around wasn't going to change a thing, but he had never felt this clueless before.

"Seifer, I...I'm never going to give up. Not until everyone is safe. And I still want to...I'm still going to save you, too."

His friend didn't seem to even hear what he said, his eyes focused miserably on the ground.

"Why...?" It wasn't a question so much as a defeated murmur directed towards the sand. "Why did she protect _you_?"

Sora glanced slightly over his shoulder to where Kairi was still struggling at staying awake. It didn't look like she was going to win that fight, and would probably be fast asleep soon. He wanted to go back to her and hold her hand tight until she fully drifted off. Reach out and brush the bangs out of her eyes...or maybe not, because it was almost too adorable seeing her sleepily unable to fix the ruffled mess of hair in her face.

Her expression so soft, lips just lightly parted...now that he thought about it, they were pretty soft, too. Sweet and-

He shook his head to clear it.

 _Don't get distracted. Don't get distracted._

Now _really_ wasn't the time for that.

But it was still so hard not to feel his heart swelling with pride at how amazing she could be when she really set her mind to it, and how much she had helped him.

"I don't wanna put words in her mouth, but Kairi told you earlier why. She is fighting f-"

Seifer punched the sand and bristled. "Not _her_."

His eyes snapped upwards, rage sparking even more furiously from their center. " _My sister_! You think I wouldn't recognize her magic!? Wouldn't notice _this_!?"

Seifer wrenched on his lapel, presenting it aggressively in his direction. Sora looked, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking at. It was just a shirt?

"There's nothing there..."

Trembling, Seifer clenched his teeth and rose back up to his feet. "Exactly, you moron. Nothing is there. But something should be, remember? Her pin. The one she entrusted to me. It's gone."

Sora saw dark vines suddenly shoot towards where he and Riku were standing like arrows. Before he could even shift positions to dodge, the vines were consumed with bright sparks of light. When the brightness dimmed enough for him to stop squinting, Sora only saw their ruined traces strewn listlessly across the ground. A few golden feathers drifted down to the sand shortly after them, and Sora finally noticed exactly how many of those same feathers already littered the area. Had he somehow missed some flock of magic doves migrating through or something?

Before he could question any of it, the witch idling nearby cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Familiars are wonderful creatures you know. They can take on quite a variety of shapes. Some look immobile, seemingly dead. Others act as vibrantly as a faithful companion. But all will spring into life when called upon. It's a treat to see such a complicated spell executed so successfully and I applaud the talent involved."

She started clapping, but Sora wasn't sure what for. Certainly it wasn't for anything he did, that was obvious.

 _A familiar...?_

Sora glanced down, puzzled, at the strewn feathers. He didn't get it, but he quickly shook his head and refocused again. Wrapping his head around magic mumbo-jumbo wasn't important right now, after all. He checked back with Riku quickly.

While quiet, Riku's eyes were shifting across the cave, taking in every detail as if analyzing it all for some minute clue. Reaching down to the sand, he gripped a fistful of some nearby feathers and flicked one with his finger. It clinked, like he had just tapped a delicate crystal glass.

Shrugging, Riku offered one over to him.

"It's magic, obviously. But if this is really what I think it is, you might want to hold on to one."

"Sure." Sora jam stuffed the feather into a spare pocket, eliciting a small chuckle from his friend. Confused, he gave Riku a shrug when he was done squishing it all in. "...What?"

"Nothing." Gesturing over to Seifer, still slumped in the sand, Riku's expression once more hardened. "As for him, I think he's more likely to listen to you."

Maybe.

Seifer's pain was almost palpable. Surges of dark energy rippled and encircled his trembling form. It was frightening. Intimidatingly so. Steeling himself, Sora took one unsure step towards him. It was scary, but he knew that just like with Riku, under all those layers of anguish and pain was just a lonely brother who wanted his sister back. At the very bottom of all that hatred, somewhere, was his friend.

Sora took another step. And another. But on the next, Seifer's hateful gaze snapped up at him and he froze.

"You don't understand how it feels, do you!? I was one of the best, then almost overnight a little punchbag runt starts overshadowing me. A little pathetic nothing with no clear future is suddenly beating me at every turn. Even claiming to have saved my sister before I had the chance! A task so obviously meant for me! I can't stand it! I can't stand you!"

Spittle foamed at the corner of Seifer's ranting mouth, and Sora was suddenly astutely aware of how dry his own mouth had become.

"Seifer, I wanted to ask you to help, but there wasn't a lot of time and it was...complicated. I figured the most important thing was getting her out of there. I didn't think-"

"Exactly. You didn't. Not that you ever do." His chin wobbled and he cursed once more, loudly. "She is protecting _you_. Not only are you spitting in my face, now my sister too chose you over me."

"I'm not-"

In response, Seifer tried to attack again, but his dark vines met the same fate as the ones before. The glowing feather in Sora's pocket enveloped the very area he stood with a golden light, like a bubble of protection. Riku's feather did the same. Without any other weapon at his disposal, Seifer resorted to spewing a tirade of swears in his direction, some including quite a few specks of spit along with them.

Ignoring the vitriol, Sora once more began his slow approach towards his friend but was momentarily pulled back by a sharp tug on his arm. Riku was giving him one of his typical looks. To someone not as in tune to his expressions he might just look angry, but Sora knew him a bit better than that. If he had to put it into words, Riku's words in particular, the face his friend was giving him now would probably be saying something more along the lines of 'You are about to do something really stupid. I know I can't tell you _not_ to do it because the minute I turn my back you totally still will, but you'd better realize how serious this situation is. Just to be safe, I'm coming with you. Not because I condone what you are doing, but because someone needs to save you from yourself.'

A mouthful when said out loud, but Riku was particularly good at conveying quite a lot with just that single expressive stare. And...maybe it was kind of bad that the two of them had gotten into enough scraps that such an expression was common place between them. More likely, the issue was that Sora had done far too many stupid things that Riku had been forced to save him from in the past.

 _Aaand I'm probably about to add another stupid thing to that list..._

The thought almost made Sora smile, despite the current situation.

Keeping his voice low, Sora gave his friend a careful nod.

It was risky, but he knew what to do now. It had worked with Riku before. The only hang-up was, Seifer had to actually want his help first.

Seifer wasn't moving from his kneeling position, his only action was continually smacking his fist against the ground, slowly pounding a larger and larger hole with each strike.

"Why, why, why. I used to be better than you. What happened!? I just wanted to save my sister, I just wanted to _be_ something! Is that so wrong!?"

Seifer's pain surged around him once more, somehow burning and freezing at the same time. Sora could feel the waves of it pulsing around the room in angry electric shocks. Luckily, the golden shield was protecting him from the brunt of it. Even still, it nearly singed his fingers trying to reach closer, straight towards the source, but Sora tried anyway.

"Seifer, you can still save her. She really, really wants her brother back, I know that much. I don't think she really will be saved until she sees you again."

Taking a deep breath, Sora managed to put a hand on his shoulder, feeling the sharp pulse of the darkness even from there pricking him like needles. "What do you think your sister wants more? Justice in her name? Or just to have you home safe?"

There was a long silence as Seifer slowly grimaced at his attempt to reach out. Sora could feel the hum of the darkness increasing in volume, but kept his hand steady.

"You were always so competitive, but only ever with me. I don't get it. You said so yourself, I'm really not that great at a lot of stuff, so why do you keep trying to compare us all the time?"

No answer. He hadn't really expected one yet.

Riku suddenly spoke up, his voice slightly cold. "I can answer that for you. It's because you were an easy target. He sees you as the lowest denominator, and if he beats you, it makes him feel like he's somebody."

Another glare from Seifer, and the hatred bristling under Sora's fingers got much...pointier. He nearly recoiled his hand from the sharp pain, but caught himself just in time.

If that was true...

Maybe it really was like with Riku after all. All that dark stuff was latching onto his fear of being worthless. And just like how Riku had been going around beating up all those kids to try and establish himself to be the best, Seifer had been doing almost the same.

"You don't have to prove..." The words caught in his throat again. "I get that you wanted to do your sister proud. That's why you wore her pin this whole time. But you don't have to be strong to be worth something. I've met some really amazing people in my life. People who lost everything and suffered through the most horrible things yet despite all of that, decided that they weren't quite ready to give up. I doubt half of them could throw a decent punch and what does that matter?"

"If they had been stronger they wouldn't have lost everything in the first place! What else do you call someone who can't protect the ones they care most about? Worthless!" Furious and face still red, Seifer snapped up at him.

Even though there was nothing but unbridled rage and darkness pouring straight up into his face, Sora kept his expression still, his hand steady.

His voice without a trace of waver.

"What happened to Ellone wasn't your fault."

Seifer blinked up at him, unable to hold back all the water pooling in his eyes and he scowled, trying to wipe it away in time. Tipping his eyes to the side, Sora pretended not to see.

A dark roar stirred from the depths of the cave, and the various roots twisted around the rocks began to writhe in frustration. But even with the angry prompting, Seifer froze, seemingly unable to do its bidding.

"Shut up!" He snapped into the abyss as it continued roaring like a beast around them all. "I can't think with you shouting at me!"

 _Shouting? The only one shouting is..._

Sora's thoughts trailed off, realizing that Seifer must be wrestling with that dark hollow voice he had heard in Riku's memory. It was such an awful commanding voice, one that had been trying to tempt Riku to do all sorts of horrid things. He could only imagine the sorts of temptations it had been feeding into his friend's ear.

"Seifer, don't listen to that thing. I know I can't understand everything that you're going through, but...believe me, I know how hard it is to feel like you have no purpose. Before I met Kairi and Riku, I really did feel like nothing myself. Every day was a lonely, cold reminder that I was alone. And with every scrap of food I had to steal, it was so hard not to feel like my existence was just causing everyone trouble. Every dirtied piece of ripped up, unwanted junk I salvaged from the trash felt like a reflection of who I was in the world."

Riku inhaled, clearly wanting to say something but chose to stay silent and let Sora finish.

"Everything changed for me when I found something to protect. Just like you, I wanted to be strong enough to save her from anything. I threw everything I had into it at the time, but she was still taken away from me. For years I wanted nothing more than to just see her again."

Seifer spat into the ground. "And lucky you it worked out."

"It wasn't luck. I refused to give up and just kept struggling until it did. But even with all the effort I put in, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere by myself. I'd have just been treading water until I drowned. I needed Riku by my side to help pull me out of the worst of it. That's where you're getting stuck, Seifer. You're fighting back so hard but you keep insisting on doing it all alone!"

"So what!? Not everyone is like you! You're such a bleeding heart that you celebrate when little brats wipe their snotty noses properly. Not everyone can be happy sharing victory with other people!"

Sora held his friend's shoulder steady, even as smoky waves of darkness began coiling their way up to his elbow, scratching at his skin like a frightened beast. "You might say it's cheating or weakness to help each other, but I don't think so. And I know that Ellone doesn't think that. Isn't her magic all about the connections that bind us all together? Those are strong, stronger than anything."

The darkness struggled to wrap its way around Sora's arm, but the magic of the feather was keeping it from getting a grip.

"I want to help you, Seifer. You're my friend. Can't we do this together? I know that you feel worthless right now but it's times like that you gotta be okay with asking for help. Friendship can push that pain away."

"No! I won't be a coward!"

"You're not! The darkness is the real coward, using your fears and pain to get stronger. It's trying to swallow everything that makes you _you_. It's only using you! And if you let it do that, you won't be able to protect your sister any more. "

"No! Just you watch! I'll do this all on my own, I've never needed anybody and your garbage about friendship is all wrong!"

"Maybe it is, but first I've got a question." Sora tried not to smile at the bug-eyed glare of shock on his friend's face after hearing such a casual retort.

"Earlier when you said you 'trashed' Fuu and Rai...where are they now?"

"Of all the stupid..."

Sora kept his eyes focused, silently pressing him to answer the question, as strange as a question it seemed. Already weak from the darkness, Seifer didn't resist for much longer and mumbled his answer out towards the ground.

"When they insisted on trying to stop me I...tied them up and left them in a spare room."

Relief transformed into a wide grin across his face and Sora couldn't help a slight laugh as well. It was what he had expected, but good news nonetheless that it hadn't been much worse. Seifer, however, seemed still perplexed by his reaction.

"You're crazy, you know that? How is that something to _smile_ about!?"

Sora tightened his grip on his friends arm and shook his head, not letting his happy expression falter.

"Because it means I'm not going anywhere. It means you know how strong teamwork and friendship can be, no matter how much you try to hide it. You knew if your friends weren't held off they would do everything in their power to keep you safe."

"So what?"

"That means you know if we work together we can get you free from that thing. If you fight back against that pain, if you keep fighting even when its hard...there shouldn't ever be any doubt about _exactly_ how strong you are. Not many can claim to have conquered their inner darkness. But you can. Fight back. Let us help you."

"Fight back..." Sora could feel him shaking slightly, and realized after a moment that he was laughing. "As much as I hate saying it...that is probably the least stupid thing you've ever said."

A sudden eruption of darkness bubbled out of his chest and he coughed, retching up globs of the stuff onto the sand. Panicked, Sora struggled to support his shoulders as his friend heaved painfully. It was like the seed was ripping him up from the inside out, struggling to either take control of his body or force him into its own bidding.

"H-hold on, don't give up! I'll see if I can-"

More spluttering laughter, and Seifer wiped roughly across his mouth. "Don't...flatter yourself. You're not my savoir or something." He grimaced, more darkness seeping from his chest. "I ain't going down so easy. I won't let it control me. Not any more."

Fingers raking across the sand, he gripped a tight fistful of the stuff and gritted his teeth. "I'm going to rip this bloated ugly weed out of me, roots and all! Then let _anyone_ dare to say I'm weak!"

The horrid impostor that had taken over his friend's form was gone. All that was left was the true Seifer, as defiant and angry as ever.

The look in his eye reminded Sora almost of the first thaw of snow in the early spring, when tufts of grass were just visible under the ice. Still icy and cold, but full of the spark of promise of something new.

"You two." Seifer offered a rough tip of his head. "I'd rather Fuu and Rai were here to back me up, but you'll have to do. Just don't screw up."

Sora tried not to roll his eyes, and Riku visibly grimaced as he forced himself to swallow whatever retort he had playing in his head. Seifer did always like to...rewrite conversations to make himself look better. You could spend hours convincing him something, only for him to come out of it all insisting he always felt that way.

The cave suddenly seemed to hiccough, the ground rocking upwards so violently it dropped everyone off their feet. Above came the crashing thud of some other structure toppling over from the earthquake-like trembles.

Seifer winced, his voice came out as a low mumble. "It's really angry...maybe it's already too..." Angrily, Seifer snatched up his sword back from Sora's loose grip and pointed it into the depths of the cave. "Listen up! If this shaking gets any worse, leave me behind and get out of here while you still can."

"Nope! I'm not leaving until every single one of my friends is safe."

Frustration growing again, Seifer snarled, wiping an arm across his eyes to clear any more loose tears. "You don't get it! I heard what that thing wants! It said if I don't finish what I started and feed it your girl, it's going to rip this whole place apart. It's getting too dangerous here."

The rumbling in the cave grow stronger, a mournful wail bouncing across the walls.

 _ **Reconnect. Me.**_

Huh. Maybe Seifer had a point. Staying here with that...thing nearby didn't seem like the best idea.

"If we go, you're coming with us."

"Heh." The slyest smile peeked out on his face. "Maybe you forgot but part of it is still right inside here. Where I go, it goes. No place is safe with me in it. It's about to get worse, fast!"

"Then we just gotta get it out of you faster!" Sora said it like a joke, but he really did mean it.

Dark waves flowed out across the sand from his arm, coating their feet with something the same sticky consistency as sap. Whipping his head up, he paused, then gave Sora a strong nod.

"Fine." He stretched his arms out wide, calling out to the creature shrieking in the pits of the darkness. "You wanna dance, thing? Then let's dance! You're about to get shown the door, buddy!"

The darkness poured out from his arms and Seifer staggered, painfully, but refused to fall. Sora chanced a glance back over at Riku, wanting to see if they were at least on the same page.

His friend's stern expression was once again clear. That guy might be as pig-headed as they come, but he didn't deserve to get swamped and consumed by the tide facing him in the inner depths of the cave. They had to get that seed out of him.

The only problem was that once they did, that was likely to cause the monster to rampage even more.

One thing at a time, though.

Nodding, Sora smiled one more time and steeled himself to finally free his friend from the grips of that thing. Taking a step forward, he wrapped his hand around Seifer's outstretched forearm, startling his friend at the sudden touch.

"We're right here with you."

Riku sighed and laid his own hand on Seifer's other arm. "I know we don't really see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but fighting against that darkness? That's personal. I'm not letting it drag you down, not when I can help."

Seifer's head drooped, but he managed a slight smirk anyway. "I hate you guys. I really do."

It was a Seifer sort of compliment. Biting, but it was pretty genuine.

Sora grinned. "Glad to hear it."

* * *

The faint breeze through the open windows carried with it the distant scent of flowers. So distant that it almost seemed like the fragrance was emanating instead from the wallpaper depicting whole bouquets of lilies bound in silk and lace.

She breathed it in, appreciating the resonating calmness that came with it. Normally she had disliked how pure white the walls were. It felt too sterile, like the slightest touch with her finger would disturb its purity. Of all the things, it made her feel dirty.

But for today at least, she was happy to see those walls.

It was like one last clean pure place to remind her without the least bit of subtlety that such places still existed in the world.

And that they were worth protecting.

She knew right at this moment two people very dear to her were fighting to bring their friend back from the grips of the darkness. There was no doubt in her mind that they would succeed. But what frightened her most was the realization of what must come after.

That there was likely only one way to calm the beast that would emerge from it all.

"I'm scared to say it out loud, I think..." Kairi paused, letting the weight of her words linger on her lips. Her eyes flickered ever briefly up to meet those of her cousin.

Namine also seemed shy to maintain eye contact, and tipped her own eyes down to her sketch papers. Empty sketch papers.

Her cousin, as graceful as ever, traced her finger in a circle across the blank page. "Is it...guilt? Because you know what it will mean for them as well?"

Kairi nodded.

"I see."

Once more, she breathed in the scent of the flowers. It was hard to place what sort they were. Not that it mattered.

Kairi could hear the cicadas once more in the silence, chirping just as strongly as at the height of summer. Their ever determined cry all the more clear.

 _We are alive. The end may come soon, but for now, we are alive._

She wasn't sure if Namine could hear them.

"While I understand that it might feel like you are deciding their fates for them...but Sora at least has said so many times over what it is that he wants. He wants to be with you. No matter what stands in his way. You can probably trust he is telling the truth."

"I know...I know that's what his heart has already decided, but..." Kairi clenched her hands around the edge of her skirt. "It hurts. Knowing this is the way it all..."

Namine stopped tracing her circles and lifted her eyes back up over the top of the page. "It might not be. After all, the fact that we are both here now, talking, proves that there is something magical at play. The three of you have such a strong bond...things like that don't just disappear so easily."

"Maybe." The room was so white. Glaringly white. Her eyes began to tear up. "But if we do...please watch over everything else for me. I am so sorry to give you such a burden, but I don't know who else I could trust."

The tears caused her vision lose focus. Her cousin's face swayed like a mirage across the table. The room seemed to melt and shift, the wallpaper being slowly replaced with ragged rocks and vines. Their connection was fading. As ephemeral as it was, it had been so wonderful to see her cousin again. One last time.

"Kairi, I believe in you. I believe in all three of you. And I am here to support you however I can. No matter what."

It was a comfort to hear.

But as Kairi began to wake up, the dream, if it really had been a dream, lost its hold on her completely.

As every semblance of Namine faded away, Kairi gasped awake. She was left staring at the mess of darkness swamping the floor and walls of the cave ahead of her. Sora and Riku were there, their friend Seifer between them. All of them panting for air, struggling to shuffle off the gobs still sticking to them.

Renewed energy surged through her, thanks to what her cousin had gifted her. Eyes blinking wide open now, Kairi struggled up to her feet. Sleepiness still coursed through her body, but she pushed herself one step at a time over to the exhausted trio. Sora noticed her out of the corner of his eye and immediately brightened, every trace of weariness fading from his face.

Despite the heaviness in her heart, he still made her smile.

Always so sweet.

But he didn't understand yet.

The cave was churning, rumbling from the insatiable hunger of the dark beast that yearned to consume her light. Whole rocks were tumbling down from the ceiling. Now that the dark seed had been torn out from Seifer's control, the vines were whipping about unrestrained. When the rumbling finally, briefly quieted, she let her breath out all at once, not even realizing she had been holding it in.

The earthquakes would continue, she was sure of it, until that beast was satisfied. They would only grow worse as each moment passed. The periods of silence shrinking until it was nothing but a constant scream. She turned her eyes sorrowfully over to Sora and knelt down next to him. The roar of the darkness seemed to be looming ever closer.

"It can't go on like this any more..."

Kairi drooped, her head slumping against the arm that quickly shot out to support her.

"It's okay, it's all over now. Seifer is gonna be alright, so let's all get out of here together."

His hand was so warm on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and felt it, just felt it. Living those few seconds as long as she possibly could. She dreaded what her next words would bring.

"I can't go."

"Huh? Why?"

"It will only keep hurting everyone. If I run, it will only chase after and continue this horrible cycle over and over again."

She felt his fingers gripping her tighter. "Don't say that! You can't give up now! We've already come this far together. I told you before, remember? I'm with you through this no matter what, so don't worry! We will stop it! I promise!"

Of course she knew he felt that way. She could never forget it. That's why it hurt so much to tell him. Undaunted, he continued smiling down at her, trying to liven her spirits, not understanding the half of it.

"Let's think of a plan together! Riku is amazing at planning stuff, even if I don't listen half the time, but I'm sure he can think of-"

"Please listen. It's not that easy." She reached up to meet his hand with her own, gently stroking her thumb against the back of it. He relaxed slightly at her touch, and she tried to smile back, but she knew it wasn't convincing. "The only thing that can calm it is inside of me. The heart of this world has been ripped in half and until it is fixed no one can really be at peace. "

Sora still seemed confused, his head tipping slightly to the side. Glancing over to Riku, she knew he understood at least. He was turned away from her; exceptionally quiet. And while she couldn't see his face, just by the slumping of his shoulders she knew exactly what sort of expression he was making towards the sand.

"I have to give it back. I have to...reconnect the pieces. I'm going to let it..."

A horrified expression filled Sora's face as it all so suddenly dawned on him. He clutched at her shoulders with both hands, his eyes wild and terrified. "Y-you can't! If you go down there, that thing is going to..."

"I know."

"There has to be another way!" He squeezed his arms around her, pressing her against his chest and she could feel his heart thumping, working itself up into a frenzy. "We can figure it out together! We have time! There's gotta be another..."

"Sora..."

She tried to pull away from his tight embrace, but he refused to let her go, shaking his head so rapidly it shook her with it. His whole body began to tremble. Not even trying to hide it from her, she felt his tears raining down onto the exposed skin at the nape of her neck. They were warm. And sad.

Every spark of brightness in his soul had been doused in an instant. The thought of causing him so much pain made the heaviness in her heart and the clenching tension in her throat only that much worse. Leaning back just enough, she tipped her face upwards so she could look him right in the eyes.

He deserved that much.

"You wanted me to be able to choose. You wanted me to have the freedom to decide my own destiny." Her gaze fell in the direction of the mess of a monster writhing unseen in the nearby darkness that was still calling out to her. "This is what I have to do. For everyone. For all of those who will come after. I may not be the one who made the mistake in the past, but I have the ability to fix it. I can't turn away from that."

"But if you do that...if you...i-if..." It was all he could do, repeating himself over and over. While his words struggled to accept it, she could tell from the look in his eyes that his heart already understood there was nothing he could say. His heart's sorrowful cry was so palpable she could barely breathe from feeling the pain squeeze her inside.

And she let him hug her again without the slightest resistance.

She couldn't be sure how long exactly they were locked in that embrace, but she knew it wasn't nearly long enough. The cave rumbled again, forcing both of them apart. Every single earthquake now really was longer, more intense than the last. They were running out of time.

Freeing Seifer had set forth a ticking bomb, and only she had the means to stop it. Kairi reached desperately over towards Sora's hand, using him to help steady her through the tremors. The two of them struggled up to their feet together, not wanting their hands to ever separate again as long as they could manage.

He wiped at his eyes, but it did nothing to clear his face. Seifer stumbled up to his feet, his face pale from overexertion. The knight glanced back and forth between Sora and Kairi, his expression steadily souring before he shoved Sora hard in the shoulder.

"Stop one damn minute and listen to yourselves! Where the hell did all of this come from? What happened to all the crap from before about never giving up!? I guess none of that matters now and you're just gonna stand there and cry like a baby!? What about how much you said you cared about her!?"

"I know, but-"

"'But' nothing!" Seifer spun his attention on her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "And you! You fight me tooth and nail and now you're happy to just give up and die!? What the hell was the point!?"

Kairi trembled under the rage directed at her, but didn't have to think twice on her answer. "I don't want to die! Of course I don't! But...I also understand. I can save everyone. Everyone I love. Even if it costs my own life that is something I am willing to do. The _point_ is that I am able to make that choice on my own!"

Scoffing, Seifer threw his hands in the air. "Man I almost bought your little love story but that is one hell of a way to show your gratitude for all he's gone through to keep you alive. Just so you can go suicide yourself into-"

"Watch it." Riku practically snarled as he shoved himself in the way to shield her from the barrage of interrogation.

"She's insane, you know that? Women! Every single one of them way too stubborn for their own good, I swear."

Riku wrenched his arm backwards with another, terser threat. "Enough. Besides, you're one to talk about being too stubborn."

Seifer scowled and opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came of it. His face also still looked slightly nauseous, and it was clear he had just used far more energy than he actually had in his angry tirade. The rage subsided, and his expression mellowed.

"It makes no god damn sense. I thought if I fought back...fought back and won, that everything would...that everything would be alright. But she's just gonna go die anyway!?"

Riku released the other knight's elbow and placed a far more gentle hand on her shoulder.

"The destination may be the same. After all, death comes to us all one way or another. But the path she has chosen is one not yolked by force. She walks each step following her own heart and that makes all the difference. Maybe not at the end, but in the now. She has chosen her path and...while it's one I wish I could change...I know I can't stop her."

Unable to control his shaking still, Sora's breath was coming out only in unsteady rattles. He seemed barely able to think, let alone speak.

"T-that path is...the path you're choosing to..."

While his eyes had always been so earnest and bright, they were now so clouded with tears that every single ray of his cheerful sunlight was cast into shadow. Her ever boundless optimist was struggling in a way she had never seen before. He tore his gaze from her face as if he was ashamed, his body trembling even more.

When he finally spoke, his unsteady voice betrayed his overwhelming fear.

"...I don't want you to go."

His spare hand brushed gently through her hair, wrapping fistfuls of it around his fingers as if terrified she would be pulled away from him.

"Please. I'll do anything."

She closed her eyes. While she had steeled herself to not cry, seeing his dejected and sorrowful face begging her, pleading with her, broke her instantly. Kairi crumbled into him, feeling his tunic soaking up her tears.

"I'm so sorry."

When she finally felt her throat unclench enough to speak, she could feel his body freeze underneath her. He was dreading her words just as much as he wanted to hear them, she was sure.

"Sora...because of you I am here. Right here, able to make this choice. You've fulfilled every promise you ever made to my mother and to me. You've kept me safe. You've made me happier than I could have ever hoped for. So it's alright now." She felt him shiver and all at once wrap her up in his arms so tightly it was like she was the last source of heat in the world.

It was warm and stuffy, but she loved it. She loved it for as long as she was able.

"The last thing you can do for me, Sora...is let me go."

His trembling stopped. Body frozen, he let everything he was holding back pour out all at once.

"Y...you tell me that, but all I ever wanted was to be by your side and spend every day together! I wanted to have days where we went exploring every corner of town. Days getting caught by an unexpected rainstorm and rushing for shelter. Days doubling over laughing so hard about something that by the time we are done we forgot what was so funny in the first place! Days where we are so bored we can't stand it! I even wanted days when we don't get along and snip and snap at each other until we calm down enough to talk it out! I want all of them because I want to make so many more memories with you! I can't do that if you're gone!"

He didn't stop until he was nearly sobbing, out of breath. Not wanting to interrupt him, she wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled deeper against his chest. His heart pounded in her ear, echoing even more thoughts and feelings his voice couldn't convey. And she listened.

"I wish I could give you a smile like always and say I understand, but I can't just bury my feelings and pretend it's all okay. I'm scared. I don't want you to do this. I'd take your place in a heartbeat if it were even possible. But...even then...I know even if we had all the time in the world, it still wouldn't feel like enough for me..."

He laughed, almost. It was more like a sharp exhale.

"I guess that makes me selfish and greedy, huh? Because even the shortest of time spent together can be just as meaningful, just as wonderful as the long times. I know that. I love every second I have with you. I can't fairly say I need more time, I just...want it. Even just one more day..."

She felt his breath hot against the top of her head as he pressed into her hair.

"E-even though I feel this way and even though it hurts...I won't stop you, Kairi. I can't. Because Riku is right. You deserve to follow your heart wherever it goes, and I don't have any right to stand in your way. I don't ever wanna be the sort of person who tells you what you can or can't do. If this is what you are sure you need to do...I'll let you go."

Kairi half wondered if he could feel her tears pouring out from her unrestrained. He certainly could hear her sniffling, even as muffled as it must be under his arms.

"You're gonna what!?" A large boulder sized rock tumbled down from above and Seifer stumbled to the side, cursing. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

The cave was going to collapse in on itself any moment now. Larger and larger rocks were breaking loose and thumping dangerously close to them all.

If only time could stop here. It really was just like he had said.

Even just one more day...one more minute...

Kairi felt the warmth of him against her face. She took a deep breath.

And she pushed herself away.

"Go. While there is still time. I may have decided on my fate, but I won't force you to walk that path with me."

She may have tried to shove him away, but he closed the gap between the two of them immediately, gently resting his hand on the side of her arm. And she finally saw the smallest glimpse of his smile once more.

She knew what he was about to say.

"I said I'd let you go. Not that I'd let you go alone."

She knew it. She was a bit melancholy to realize that maybe she finally had gotten him figured out. It also made his previous distress all the more relatable.

Kairi didn't want him walking down this road any more than he wanted her to go. Guilt filled the back of her throat, knowing that he was only volunteering because of her.

"There's no reason for you to! Maybe it's foolish of me to even try to argue, but if I go by myself I can at least be happy knowing that you're sammnh-"

She wasn't expecting his hand on the side of her face, fingers entwining through her hair. She wasn't expecting how quickly he could close the space between them.

She wasn't expecting a kiss at all. Least of all one so passionate and abrupt she couldn't even breathe.

His lips tugged on hers, drawing out of her a single gasping sigh in place of whatever words of protest she had planned. Everything became nothing but a dizzy hum in her mind. The unrestrained urgency with which he tasted her made her flush.

It was almost like he was trying to commit the flavor to his memory forever.

Even if she hadn't been looking, she would have known it was him. The kiss was everything like him. Gentle and kind yet as energetic as leaves dancing on a light breeze.

She felt warm. Her stomach clenched. How he always manged to leave her feeling so delightfully twisted up inside she couldn't understand.

But just as abruptly as it had began, he parted, leaving her panting, mouth soaked. And when she realized that the others had been watching, was a touch shy.

Sora gave her a bright smile. No doubt his own confident look a result of how utterly dizzy and speechless he had rendered her.

"You are my light, Kairi. You kept asking me before how I can stay so hopeful and positive all the time and it's because of you. Maybe it is stupid of me not to run from here, but I can't. I love you too much."

She held herself together, only barely. Kairi didn't want to cry any more. Not even tears of joy. She wanted him to remember her looking happy.

His eyes lit up when he saw her face. Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he gave her a cheeky tap on the nose with his thumb. "I'd kiss you again, but then I can't see that smile."

If only that was the worst of their problems.

"If you two are just about done, may I remind you that we are in _imminent danger_ here!?" Seifer gestured backwards to the flailing vines starting to kick up again in another fit and rolled his eyes. "Idiots..."

Unable to see the humor in the situation, the ground bucked upwards and a vicious roar accompanied it. This earthquake was worse than all the others, knocking everyone to the sand. Two massive boulders crashed down nearby, spraying dirt and small pebbles over them.

Riku was the first to his feet and hastily reached down to help Sora and Kairi up. Sora glanced uncertainly between his friend and the monster of darkness bellowing in the distance.

"I...Riku, I'm going to go with her."

"I know."

"Are you-"

Riku bonked him soundly on the head. "Do you really have to ask? I can't help you two being hopeless, but I made a promise too. I've told you countless times, you thick-head, I'm with you no matter what. Wouldn't be the same without you around."

Just as she feared, the two of them really were going to stand by her side until the end. It had been her fear, but if she was being completely honest with herself, she was secretly relieved she wouldn't have to face such a thing alone.

Maybe that made her a bit selfish and greedy, too.

A sudden voice chimed in from the corner, one belonging to someone Kairi had almost forgotten was present.

"It's an interesting twist to be sure. Though perhaps one that will make all of this not simply an exercise in futility."

Riku scowled in her direction, looking particularly fierce. "You're still here? Haven't you meddled enough?"

"Not quite." Swinging her staff to the left, it glowed briefly in emerald fire before three long cylindrical objects swiftly appeared from the ether and buried themselves in the sand just next to where Riku was standing.

They were...swords?

"If you brave knights are determined to lead your princess into the darkness, you'll need to make sure she reaches the core of the beast. On the way, many a wayward dark fledgling may try to strike her down. Should you fail to defend her against them, and she falls too soon, there isn't any guarantee the two halves will rejoin properly. The darkness might simply consume the light. And all will be for naught."

Riku eyed the swords skeptically. "And you expect us to believe that those weapons are actually meant to help?"

"Well you don't _have_ to use them. I certainly would. Maybe the darkness will just...melt away if you glare at it hard enough." She chuckled into the back of her hand.

Sora eyed the swords, gave Kairi's hand the tiniest squeeze, and turned to the witch in the corner. "I still don't really get you, not one bit. But...you said if we want to fix the heart of the world...we need to get to the core, right? The very center? All the way at the very end of that tunnel?"

Maleficent nodded. Observing him. Sora stared back just as intently.

There was a tense moment of silence between the two. Kairi wasn't sure if there was some battle of wills going on, or if Maleficent was somehow telepathically arguing with him, but either way they seemed to be having some sort of silent debate.

The swords were glowing with a strange blue hue, almost as if they were a pale luminescent metal made of moonlight. With the slightest hesitation, Sora reached out with his free hand towards the sword closest to him.

"Wait, it might be a tra-" Seifer hissed in objection, but it came too late.

Sora pried it loose from the sand. Giving it a few test swings, he noticed nothing adverse seemed to be happening, and shrugged.

"Look, I don't exactly _trust_ her, but...I think she's telling the truth about this, at least. If I can use this to keep Kairi safe until she gets to where she needs to go, then I don't care where it came from. It could even be a rusty pan lid. I'd fight with anything."

Riku exhaled slowly, and gripped the second sword with equal trepidation. "Right. That's our duty as knights, after all. Defend her until the last."

The beast roared again, shaking the cave and the ceiling showered them all with yet another layer of dust. Kairi trembled at the monstrous wailing sound and tried to quiet the rapid beating of her own heart.

If there was danger down that path, there was a chance they would fail before even getting to the center. And not only would they die, the darkness would consume everything.

No.

Not with them by her side.

The two of them were capable of the most impossible of miracles. She had seen it time and time again.

She trusted them with not only her body but her heart.

Kairi remembered the conviction in Namine's voice earlier.

 _The three of you have such a strong bond...things like that don't just disappear so easily._

Yes. Maybe, just maybe, fate would be kind to them. She certainly hoped so.

* * *

 **A/N: I struggled with more than a few decisions in this chapter.  
**

 **I know some things maybe were not explained fully, and I apologize if that causes some confusion. Some events I think the characters themselves don't fully understand, so it wouldn't make sense to interject with long explanations. Other things I hope make sense if readers were following the conclusions and clues given in previous chapters.  
**

 **Next chapter will be out shortly, check back in a week or so. I'm on a mini vacation now so I have time to finish up everything, and I hate leaving things on a cliffhanger.**

 **-A. Moth  
**


	24. Ch 24: Reconnect

"Leave it not up to the imagination. If any of you set down the path towards the darkness, there is less than the slightest of chance any of you will return." Maleficent's words dropped heavily through the air. "Even knowing that, you will still go?"

Kairi shivered at the assertion, hoping that at least this time she was wrong. Even though everything she had said before had been...eerily accurate.

"But it's only after me! Surely it won't hurt-"

"You may be its target, but it is merciless. Moreso than I. No, my dear, I'm afraid it is just as likely to lash out at whatever it sees. Though I do suppose there is a _chance_ for them. That's more than I can say for you."

Oh...

Bitter words to swallow.

However, she didn't take the slight dig to heart, instead only focusing on the two looking grim yet determined at her side.

"A chance..." Her eyes pinched shut. "That's all I needed to hear. Whatever happens to me doesn't matter."

"Kairi..." Sora kneaded her shoulder gently. "Saying stuff like that...I'm glad you're so concerned about us but you still matter. You matter to me a whole lot. Don't forget that."

The sweetness of his expression made her heart melt all over again.

He then gestured over to his friend with a jab of his thumb. "And I know Riku is over there looking particularly grumpy but that's only because he is really worried about you and is trying to hide it."

All at once the dour face in question morphed into such shock that Kairi couldn't hold in her light, unexpected giggle.

"You're right. I'm sorry I said it that way."

Maleficent once more caught her attention with the slightest sarcasm-laced coo.

"How sweet. But as far as I'm concerned, this is farewell." The sorceress, as emotionless as ever, gave them the slightest tip of her head. "It has been...unique."

There was a burst of emerald fire, and just like that she was gone.

Seifer groaned, staring into the abyss of darkness that was ever so eerily churning at the back of the tunnel. "I guess there is no point in trying to talk you out of this. You always were a complete sap."

"Sorry." Sora could only shrug and try to maintain a smile. It was a heavily burdened one. While his face went through the motions, his eyes told a far different story. "Seifer, there's a third sword here, but..."

Another typical scowl. "Oh, let me guess: you just want to take all the glory for saving the day yourself, huh? What makes you think I'm gonna play the coward now and run when you're all gonna make some grand final stand?"

Seifer kicked out at the sword in the dirt, knocking it over. "Only thing is, I'm doing it with my own blade. I've had more than enough magic and mysterious gifts, thanks."

Sighing, Sora gave his friend a weakly regretful look. "All I meant is...you have someone back out there you still need to protect. If you really wanna stay I won't stop you, but...I think you should go to her."

To her surprise, Seifer didn't scowl, or even argue back. He only just looked sad, dipping his head in Sora's direction. "I hate that you're not wrong."

"...sorr-"

"Will you stop apologizing already? It's girly." He rolled his eyes. "You know you're the only person I know who could be fully committed to doing the most heroically noble act possible while still managing to muck it up and seem unmanly somehow."

Sora gaped back at him, clearly flip-flopping between reactions. "Wh...but...h-hey!"

Chuckling, Riku responded for him. "He certainly does cause trouble pretty much everywhere. Maybe that should be the title he never got: heroic mucker-upper."

Kairi stamped her foot in protest, despite Sora at least finding it amusing. " _Riku_ , that's awful! Besides, if I have my way he won't ever have a title."

Baffled, very boy in question tipped his head at her. "Why?"

"It suits you better that way. To me, you're Sora. Just as you should be."

Siefer huffed, not quite angry but not quite laughing either. "You know, it's kind of a shame. Those dumb little mistakes, even of the most simple stuff...I'm going to miss-" He abruptly cleared his throat. "M-making fun of you."

It was sweet, in a tough-guy sort of way.

Sora clearly got the message and grinned broadly, rapping his friend briskly on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about me. You've got a lot of stuff to look forward to. You'll do great helping your sister, I know it. And when you can, give her our thanks. She's done an awful lot for us."

"...yeah."

Kairi felt uncomfortable addressing him, considering all that had happened, but she felt it at least necessary to let him know she didn't have any more hard feelings.

"Seifer, please find your way out of here. Stay safe. And...when it is all over, if you could...maybe also keep an eye on my cousin for me? She's quite lonely, and I would be happy knowing she will have someone trustworthy at her side she can call her friend."

To her shock, he knelt as formal as a knight could be, bowing his head before her.

"I'll be sure of it."

After straightening, and with one more pained tip of the head, Seifer began to march with forced determination back out of the cave. Stalling a moment, he spun around while still making his way backwards, gesturing to Sora with a sharp finger.

"And don't you think I'm gonna ham this thing up as a noble sacrifice! Anyone who asks is getting the straight truth."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "And that is...?"

"That you're all idiots. Brave, but idiotic. You'd better come back alive or I'll hate your guts even more!"

Grinning, Sora cupped his hands around his mouth to call out after him. "Never change, Seifer!"

It was a goodbye. Warm in some ways, strange in others. But it was still a goodbye. Once he was gone, there was an unsettling quiet surrounding the three who remained.

For now, they were alive. For now, they could sing their songs out loud. But the path ahead loomed ever so threateningly.

The darkness beckoned.

* * *

 _Somewhere deep, in caverns dark._

 _It lingers, waiting, for its mark._

 _The beast of black, the seed of death_

 _once more will rise,_ _leave us bereft._

 _Fear all, the call, for that foul day,_

 _the day our light for'er fades away._

 _What can be done to close its maw?_

 _Allow the ice of hatred, thaw?_

 _Coward, this beast has made of me,_

 _Targets it my frailty._

 _My love, I will not let you fall,_

 _Even if naught else stands at all..._

 _I pledge my life, devoted oath._

 _Destiny's bond connects us both._

 _Lives like pebbles, mixed up sand,_

 _tumbling, drifting, hand-in-hand,_

 _down the shore of fate's grand river._

 _Our adventures-hither, thither..._

 _Where I flow I flow with you,_

 _'til time eternal, time anew._

 _As the end begets the night,_

 _Our mem'ries glow with dim starlight._

 _The world will not be truly void,_

 _So long as love is not destroyed._

* * *

It was conviction that carried them deeper into the depths of that horrible cave. The closer the three of them drew towards the source of the inky black darkness now tracing its way across the floor and ceiling, the more nauseated she felt.

Focusing her light she was able to maintain a very soft glow around them. Enough to be sure not to trip, but not good for much else. Either her light was too weak, or the darkness was just too...thick.

Kairi almost felt as if the whole cave was alive around her. While she couldn't see them with the lack of illumination, she almost sensed the walls trembling. She could still hear it in the back corner of her mind, begging her to move closer. It lustfully slobbered over itself, and she cringed.

Disgusting. Horrible. There weren't enough words for it.

Just like Maleficent had warned, the darkness was too impatient to wait, and globs of jet-black sap dripped down, lunging like sentient beasts towards her. Her hands occupied with maintaining the light, she would have been defenseless on her own.

But she didn't fear the waves of dark tendrils that threatened to scoop her up and carry her off into the abyss. The moonlight swords that Maleficent had gifted her knights swung true, their icy blue blades slicing evenly through the darkness, leaving faint traces of glowing embers in their wake that hovered in the air like fireflies.

Sora breathed out in awe at the weapon at work. "Man, I should've gotten a magic sword way earlier!"

Cutting down the nearest assailant, Riku tutted in reprimand at his distraction. "You only like it because of the flash."

"What's wrong with that? So long as it, I dunno, _swords_ the same why wouldn't I go for one that's got a little extra... _shing._ " Just to accent his point, he cut through the closest vine squiggling too close for comfort and gestured to the aftermath proudly. "Makes it look that much more awesome when I win."

Riku glanced at the sparkling motes and sighed. "Makes you look like a show-off."

"Already?" Sora cast a mischievous grin over his shoulder at her and winked. "I'm just getting started."

Kairi appreciated him trying to cheer her up even now, but that didn't stop her from fretting slightly at his carefree attitude.

With each step they took, the more ferocious the fledglings of darkness dripping down from the core of the darkness were becoming. Not wanting to chide him childishly, she only gave him a worried smile in return.

Perhaps she should have been more concerned about her own surroundings. A lone flail of a vine slithered its way up behind her. Or so she assumed, after Sora had already reached out and spun her around behind him so quickly to block it that she tripped and collapsed against his back.

Catching her breath she hastily re-balanced herself. Almost instinctively, she took the opportunity to touch her forehead against his unruly hair before pulling away to give him room to move.

Sliced in two, the vine flopped impotently on the ground and evaporated into smoke like all the others. Nothing was left behind, save the trails of firefly-like lights drifting upwards towards the sun they couldn't see above.

She breathed out, watching the lights scatter. "That was-"

"Another!" Riku shouted, his moonlight sword cutting into another fleet of charging worm-like fingers.

Sora reacted immediately, apologizing just as swiftly for handling her as he wrapped her close to his chest and pirouetted her once more away from the reach of the creatures. Even with one of his arms occupied, he didn't seem particularly impaired in his ability to fight.

Eyes closed, face pressed close into his shoulder...

It actually felt like a dance.

She let him lead, knowing one misstep, one miscalculated errant foothold might disrupt the rhythm that those two had long practiced. They knew each other. They knew where to turn and when to strike.

It was as impressive as it was frightening to be so close to it all.

While she was used to seeing him with that determined look on his face, there was something far more fierce about it now. Riku pressed in on the offensive with just as much furor, his brow furrowed, strikes clean.

Not wanting to cower under Sora's grip the entire time, she twisted around and extended her arms out over the one that still tightly clenched her waist. Pressing her back against him where she felt safe, she focused. The intensity of her light grew. Faint shrieking hisses of the creatures followed.

Stave them off. Keep them out. Lessen the number.

But even her safe space wasn't a guarantee. The darkness was pouring from all sides now. All she could do was keep up that small illuminated bubble, like the walls of a moat stemming the overwhelming force of water pushing against it. Even then they still leaked through.

Her light kept the forces manageable. They cut down what breached it.

Sora clenched her tight against him as he fought. Breath hot against her ear. Fast, from exertion. Heart beat so strong she could feel it against her. Through her.

A flush of strange feelings washed across her body and she almost buckled at the knee. She wanted him to kiss whatever he could reach. Wanted his warmth to discover the sensitive little spot under her ear. As depraved as it seemed to her, she would have given so much just to feel his mouth on the nape of her neck.

She twisted, ever slightly.

Her eyes matched with his. No words were exchanged; only a glance.

He smiled, gripped her tighter, and kept fighting. Her light never faltered.

And so they moved further into the depths, the air of joviality long forgotten.

* * *

Sora stumbled slightly and tried to hide his wince from her view. She knew it would do no good to fuss. It had taken too much out of all of them to reach this far. Her light shield was nearly spent, and maintaining it now was all she could manage.

Somehow they had made it though. The path had run to an end. The gauntlet of darkness was no longer a swarm, but a steady lull. Up above she could see it: one massive writhing mess of vines and inky black goop staring her down.

Riku breathed out slowly, flicking his eyes across the unknown terror that somehow seemed to sense their presence. It seemed calmer, and it was now inwardly seething, pulsing in anticipation.

The core was...ugly, to say the least.

"Not exactly what I expected."

Kairi chewed on her lower lip, struggling to find the right words. "Riku...Sora...now that I am here, perhaps you can take this chance to esca-"

"Enough of that." Riku silenced her before Sora even had the chance. "We've already talked each other in circles. I'm staying right here. Sora isn't budging, either. It isn't a logical decision, no, but something tells me...the only chance we have of seeing tomorrow, as slim as it might be, is if all three of us face this together."

Sora bobbed his head, somehow looking as cheerful as ever. "That's how we always managed before!"

He laced his fingers around hers and squeezed. "I'm _not_ leaving you. I promise."

Maybe there was a chance. Just maybe.

Clenching her fists for a moment, Kairi breathed in and out as slowly as possible. Everything inside of her felt numb. How else was she supposed to feel? She was so terrified she couldn't even think straight. Terrified, and yet somehow not terrified at all.

It really did defy all logic, and she resolved herself not to question it. Listen to her heart, and let it lead her down this road of destiny that she had chosen.

No.

That all three of them had chosen.

"When I lower this shield...it's going to..."

She wasn't sure, exactly what it was going to do to her. Eat her whole? Suck her dry? Part of her wished she knew, considering it might be far less frightening that way.

"I'm so sorry you two were dragged into all of this. It's something I deeply regret, and yet..." She appreciated the faint prickle of rising tears in the corners of her eyes, wondering if she would ever feel such a sensation again.

"If I'm being honest, I-I'm...happy I'm not alone."

Sora gave her hand another tight squeeze. "You won't be. Not ever. No matter what dark place you find yourself in, I'll come find you."

Her light flickered.

She smiled.

"Then we'll go together. All of us side by side. I guess it can't be any other way."

Kairi stared down at the inky black vat of darkness lunging its way towards them, roots snapping, yellowed teeth gnashing into the air for the one thing it hungered for. It was horrible. She etched it into her memory, despite knowing it would not be long before everything that was her memory would be scattered, lost to the wind. But for right now she remembered it all. All her memories stretched out before her like the silken strings of a spider web, glowing silver. Woven together like a beautiful faerie tale, every connection so intricately placed and strong, yet at the same time far too fragile.

How she wished she could be there to see the ending. But she didn't fear the end now. She knew it would all be alright. Namine would take care of the rest. And even if Beatrix were to finally retire, Seifer would be there to watch over her cousin as well.

All of the people in town could have hope again without worry it would someday be ripped away. All those outside of the walls could finally feel the light that had for so long been stolen from them.

Kairi took the first of her final steps, leading straight to meet fate itself. All three of them together, side-by-side.

In her mind she wondered how things could have been different had they all grown up as normal children, playing together under the summer sky. She could almost hear the laughter echoing across the endless gardens of flowers in the fields. Chasing after flighty grasshoppers, stopping to giggle at the skittish tadpoles scrabbling away from leaves dropping from above, gazing in awe at the fluttering rush of birds in the twilight looking for a place to roost. Three inseparable friends always together, ever and always.

Perhaps in another life they could be.

"Thank you. Both of you. I know that maybe these thoughts mean nothing now...but I'm so happy we met. I'm so happy we were able to share a small part of our time together."

One last breath, calm and deep.

She imagined herself sinking far into the ocean, down below the waves, watching the sunlight play on the surface of the water.

"It was brief but...so, so wonderful."

And she lowered her shield.

Kairi didn't tremble as she looked up into the gaping maw of the darkness, eager to swallow her whole and drain every drop of blood from her body.

Kairi didn't flinch as it lunged towards her.

All she could think to do was softly sing, feeling a lone tear trace its way across her face. She clenched his hand tight, and let her voice float free.

Her last thought lingered on the beautiful tapestry of a rainbow, and how she wished she could have seen one, just one last time with him. How she wished she could lay with him one more night under the stars, peaceful and warm...

 _So remember little cloud…_

 _If all the light has gone…_

 _I am always here with you._

 _Let's make a-_

...

* * *

The dark felt so cold.

Her hand even colder.

Lets go back to a warm place.

Let's go together.

...

Stillness.

Lost?

I...Re-mem-ber...

...

 _"Just let me know...if you need..."_

 _Something soft tapped his nose, startling him slightly. Sora snapped back awake in an instant, not even realizing he had been that close to drifting off already._

 _"Actually..." Kairi paused a moment, her eyes listing to the side as if suddenly lost in thought. "Can I be a bit more nosy and ask one more question?"_

 _Sora stifled a yawn and bobbed his head in agreement, trying to shake off the fringes of sleepiness. "I already told you earlier to ask me anything, and I'm not going against my word now."_

 _She inhaled deeply and let it out just as slow, as if preparing herself for something altogether dramatic. Her eyes blinked up at him. Sweet and hopeful and so, so beautiful. "I was only wondering...and it's okay if you don't want to answer, but...when did you first realize..."_

 _Her voice trailed off, and Sora felt a slight stab of panic. She was looking at him so desperately but he actually had no idea what she was talking about._

 _"Realize...?"_

 _Kairi fidgeted and rolled off of him slightly to sit up in the grass. The sudden lack of her warmth left him particularly unhappy._

 _"Your feelings. That maybe you and I..."_

 _Oh._

 _He hadn't expected a question like that._

 _Maybe he should have._

 _As he searched for his response, her ever hopeful face was all the more distracting to his thoughts._

 _"I...don't really know. I wish I did. The truth is maybe I always did. For the longest time I was trying really hard not to admit anything to myself because I knew the situation we were in was...complicated to say the least. But then after all that time I got to see you again and...I didn't even have to think twice about it. I just knew."_

 _She didn't say anything, and in the silence he felt a second wave of panic. He messed up, didn't he? His answer had made her sad. It must have. She wasn't saying anything._

 _"I made a promise to protect you. Lots of people thought I was crazy for chasing after an oath that I made before I was even old enough to understand it but whenever I thought about you, it made me feel stronger. And besides that, I just like seeing you happy. I don't know how else to explain it. Maybe it really can be that simple. Don't you think?"_

 _A sorrowful frown flickered across her face, only slightly. She tried to hide it._

 _"M-maybe..."_

 _He gave her a soft little jab into the side of her arm, hoping a slight tickle might make her smile again. "Come on, I never figured a girl like you would doubt that whole faerie tale 'love at first sight' thing. You don't believe me?"_

 _"N-no, it's not that!" She pressed her head against his shoulder and sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just...my whole life I was told over and over that no one is ever supposed to care about me. That I can't possibly let anyone ever consider me anything more than the barest minimum. Respectful, but distant. Part of me, perhaps, still feels like it shouldn't be possible for anyone to genuinely..."_

 _He heard the faint telltale sniff of incoming tears. Her whole body sagged as if she was ready to melt into a puddle of sorrow. Immediately, he gathered her up tightly in his arms just to try and keep her together a little longer._

 _Her voice wobbled. "I'm so sorry, I really should be stronger than this. Especially now."_

 _"Kairi...it's okay if you need to cry. It's been a lot to take in over the last few days. I know I'm still reeling from a few things and I had way less to deal with."_

 _She shook her head against him before tipping her chin back up to regain eye-contact. It wasn't like he enjoyed seeing her upset, but even when her face was screwed up and puffy from holding back tears there was something indescribably beautiful about it. She was finally expressing herself, nothing held back._

 _"You're sweet, but I would really rather not cry any more today if I can help it."_

 _Nodding to himself, he gave her her a gentle and playful tug at the end of her bangs, clearing them away from her face and hoping he could at least get her smile to come back._

 _"I know it might be hard for you to accept yet, but there are lots of people that care about you! In fact, we can go visit them any time you want."_

 _She perked up. "Them…?"_

 _"Yeah. With Riku's help I eventually managed to track down where everyone ended up after we got separated as kids. I know for a fact they've all really wanted to see you again."_

 _A shaking hand cleared her eyes of wayward tears._

 _"You mean...they remember me?"_

 _"Of course they do! They still tease me about how I sai-uh..." His voice skidded to a halt and he began inwardly kicking himself for the abrupt slip of the tongue. This was not the time to bring that up..._

 _At least he saw the slightest shimmer of a smile start to appear. She narrowed her eyes slightly up at him, suspicious._

 _"Teasing? About what…?"_

 _"...s-stuff. I-it's not important. Anyway, Penelo and Ven run this orphanage and-"_

 _"Sora, if it's about me...you don't have to be embarrassed about it."_

 _Sure, she could say that, but…when she looked at him like that, with those eyes, it made his mind go kind of fuzzy. She made all of him feel...funny, and not in the laughing sort of way. He gulped and tried to arrange his thoughts in order but they kept skittering away from his groping fingers like startled minnows._

 _Great._

 _What a fantastic time to bring up awkward kid stuff and memories of their first actual tiff. Way to go, Sora! That'll be a sure way to cheer her up._

 _"I know it sounds like I'm...but it really isn't about...I mean, it kind of is about that, but it's more because I was a dumb kid and didn't understand half of anything, not that I understand stuff now but I mean basic, basic stuff..."_

 _"Slow down, I can barely understand you."_

 _He sighed, tipping his eyes down to the parched grass. "It's something I'm sorta...hoping you don't remember because I regret what I said."_

 _"What? I don't remember you saying anything_ that _terrible. You were always very sweet. Socially clumsy, but sweet."_

 _She made it sound like being socially clumsy wasn't a bad thing._

 _"It's not that it was terrible, it's just something...uh..."_

 _Embarrassing. Problematic. Better left forgotten._

 _And...judging by that devious sparkle in her eye, most definitely something she is not going to let him drop until he confesses completely._

 _"Spill it. You know you have to."_

 _Yep, she had that part right. He had already promised to answer every question she could think of and she already knew his stance on keeping promises. In other words? He was more trapped than a tree in a flower pot._

 _"Okay well first of all, if it's any excuse, back then I didn't really have any idea what a family was or much of anything. I didn't even really get what having a family meant."_

 _"Mm-hmm. I remember."_

 _"Somehow...I ended up thinking getting married was some kind of horrible fate where you had to get stuck following all sorts of strict rules under pain of death. I blame Hayner, for that one..."_

 _Thankfully, she giggled, and tipped her head, urging him to continue._

 _"Anyway, uh...I guess there was a misunderstanding about some of that and one of the girls said something like 'hey, you two are gonna be married some day' and...well...I basically threw a fit about the idea. You got mad and said-"_

 _"'I'd never marry you anyway'...right?"_

 _He blinked, a mixture of stunned and horrified. "Y-yeah...you said if you ever did want to get married it would be to some perfect princely gentleman or something like that."_

 _Well, so much for hoping she wouldn't remember. The one silver lining, however, was being able to hear her brightly giggling once more at his childish missteps._

 _"I believe I also said that I was resolved to never, ever kiss you again."_

 _"Y-yeah, that too...everyone kept teasing me about that time, saying I really kicked myself good if I ever wanted to, you know..."_

 _She hummed, and put a hand up to her mouth to try and hide her ever broadening smile. "Oh dear. And now that you've reminded me, I simply can't go back on my word now, can I?"_

 _Hopefully she was just joking._

 _"I knew it was a mistake to mention it..."Sora slumped his head to the side and laughed hesitantly. "But, uh...what about all the...stuff earlier? I guess that doesn't count?"_

 _Clicking her tongue, she gave him the slightest reprimanding tap on the forehead. "I told you that was a_ special _reward. It doesn't follow the rules."_

 _"So...does that mean you really won't..."_

 _In response, she playfully hummed again and winked, flicking her fingers through the grass._ _"It certainly would be unbecoming of a princess to lie, wouldn't it?"_

 _There was something so irresistibly cute about her when she was trying to play coy with him. He really liked that about her. It was perfectly fitting that she smelled like raspberries after all. Sweet, with just the faintest hint of tart. The best balance he could ask for._

 _She reached over to grab up his hands and gently played with them, feeling along each of his fingers. It must have been so hard for her to be deprived of any contact at all for so long. The least he could do was lend her his hand now and again until she felt more comfortable and less alone._

 _He watched her for a moment, her hair sweeping over her shoulders and falling in a cascade of rose across her face._

 _"Hey, Kairi…I know you said it's a bit hard for you to accept right now, but..."_

 _"Hmm?" She released his hand and sat up._

 _There was no question in his mind how he felt. And he realized that maybe more than anything else, right now Kairi needed to hear it. He had probably told just about everyone in the castle before her, and he never wanted her second guessing his feelings. Gripping her shoulders tight, he once more pulled her close to him, right against his heart._

 _"I love you."_

 _She gasped, her whole body freezing up as she struggled to comprehend those three small words._

 _"I love you and I'll tell you over and over until you are completely and absolutely so used to hearing it that you beg and plead with me 'No more! No more!'...because maybe by then it won't feel so strange for you to hear."_

 _She shivered, relaxing into him, her voice nothing but a soft whisper. "E-even...if it takes a very long time?"_

 _"Yep!" Releasing one of her shoulders, he used the free hand to lift up her chin so she could look right into his eyes and be sure he was telling the truth. "Even if it takes forever. I promise."_

 _Kairi's soft features were looking a tad flushed now, but otherwise he clearly saw that same shimmering sparkle, that same comforting warm glow inside of her that always had let him know she was someone he always wanted to be close to. He couldn't help but want to stare into that deep pool of her eyes forever. And, if he was allowed to be greedy...well..._

 _He also couldn't help the cheeky grin he felt spreading across his face._

 _"Besides, I thought of a catch!"_

 _"E-eh? For what?"_

 _"You said you were never, ever gonna kiss me again, right?"_

 _Her head gently tilted to the side, curious. "Y-yes, but I was only-"_

 _He didn't give her a chance to finish. Just once more, just for the slightest brief moment more he wanted to feel the warm and sweet touch of her lips on his. Head spinning, heart dancing, he cupped her face under his palm as he eagerly pulled her over. She gasped, her breath brushing across his face like the gentle ebb of a wave on the shore and he felt suddenly swept adrift in a calm ocean. Floating, peaceful, whole. The rest of her words seemed to catch in her throat and only fell out as a contented sigh that he all too eagerly gulped down._

 _Warm. So, so warm. Heat spreading to every tiniest smidgen in his body, in places he never even knew had ever been cold before. All filled with the brightest light._

 _For something supposedly supremely taboo, it certainly felt natural. While it was true that no one, let alone someone like him, should ever have been doing such a thing; it never felt wrong at all. It was also clear that Kairi was more than eager to participate._

 _He had to gasp for air briefly against her demanding attention, trying to regain the control she was so easily wrenching away from him. But as soon as he brushed his fingers against the nape of her neck, she melted into his touch._

 _Like the swaying flow of the waves, washing up against the shore they once more danced willingly into distraction. When they finally parted, she kept her eyes closed as if not wanting to let the moment pass again._

 _"I'm not sure I understand what you meant by 'catch'...and I'm not entirely sure that's a problem."_

 _He chuckled and tried his best to hide the satisfied look on his face before she caught sight of it. "Well, you said you wouldn't kiss me, but you never said that I couldn't be the one to start it. So from here on out that's what I'm gonna do."_

 _She finally let her eyes flicker back open and she smiled. "I won't complain about that. But you do know I was only joking? I didn't really mean it as a child and I certainly would never say that now."_

 _"I had a feeling. But had to be safe just in case..."_

 _Kairi hummed again and cuddled up to him. Gently, she pushed, forcing him back down to the grass so she could snuggle against his side. As if instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her back to keep her as close as possible._

 _"Sora, you made such a grand promise...I've come up with one as well. It's only fair."_

 _He wanted to tell her it was alright, but he decided to bite his tongue. It was clear she had already decided on something anyway. Maybe it was selfish, but he really wanted to know._

 _"Okay then, let's hear it."_

 _"I promise I'll never forget you. Even if the memories of you are torn from my heart once more, nothing will ever be able to remove the echoes that will inevitably remain there. I know you didn't always have a home, but you will forever have a home here." She tapped a few times on the place where her heart was beating, warm and fast beneath. "Right here."_

 _"That's...I..."_

 _"And...there's one more thing."_

 _Sora tipped his head to the side, watching her bashfully try to hide the rosy glow on her face. "...yeah?"_

 _"If you had any doubts..."_

 _Four words._

 _His breath caught again in his throat. All it took were those four words from her to make his brain go absolutely numb._

 _I. Love. You. Too._

 _It was so simple. Each word only one syllable each. They rolled off her tongue melodiously. But in this moment, in this one simple moment, he didn't need anything more poetic or fancy than that._

 _And it made him understand even more what Kairi had meant before. Even if his body and soul were driven back into the ether of timeless nothingness of death, nothing could ever make him forget this feeling. He would forever clench it so tightly it could never be taken away. His feelings of this moment would follow that last flickering gasp of his consciousness and march right alongside it into the dark. He would never be alone again, just knowing that in this time, in this moment, there was someone so very special in his heart and he was in hers._

...

 _"I can't help but remember all the nights we used to spend like this. Sleeping on the ground, looking up at the stars." She snuggled back down to the little space into his neck. "I don't want you to leave me ever again. Not even for one night. Can we just stay like this? Fall asleep right here?"_

 _He didn't have a word to say in opposition. He clutched her close and laughed. There was really only one response he could ever consider._

 _"I think...I'd like that too."_

 _Hand in hand, the two of them held each other close...waiting for sleep to take them._

 _As the night closed in from above, they remained there under the stars._

 _Together._

* * *

Montblanc sighed, ever wistfully, into his mug.

Not a soul spoke though this part of his tale. Every voice held silent behind still breath. Even the younger folk, far too young to have lived through these days remained respectfully somber.

One crackling ember of the fire seemed to snap Montblanc up from his lost reverie.

"An act full of love. A powerful stand to change the course of destiny. This was what marked the end of the Seven Gardens, forever. It fell not with a shuttering whimper, but with a cry out to the sky above that they were no longer going to be shackled by what came before. A hopeful plea that whatever, and whoever came after them could use that gift of freedom without fear. Without ever having to suffer the same shadowy grip preventing their hearts from singing the songs it was meant to.

While it was tragic to have such beautiful souls make that sacrifice, it was not in vain. All the world was changed forever.

And while the Gardens were no more—the central castle lying half crumbled and silent-the true sign it was all over came from above. The barrier of light that had always hovered in the sky shattered into millions of pieces, scattering like rain to the barren earth below. It was a sign that the light buried for generations in the royal line had been completely consumed. Or, as some might see it, returned back home.

Suddenly the sky above looked so much more vibrantly blue than ever before. A sky that connected everything.

For so long we had been looking through tainted glass that we had almost forgotten how stunning the sun could really be. And as all eyes gazed upwards at the new world, they couldn't help the tears that followed.

The light above was so beautiful, and so, so bright. So bright it stung their eyes.

Such is life and love, sometimes. The most wonderful things can often be the most ephemeral, and the most beautiful of things can be the most difficult to truly see.

But do not cry now.

It was not the end. Of course not.

Far, far from it."

* * *

Rain can wash away everything, given enough time.

So much pain and suffering would take much longer to erase, but everything was born from the water, and eventually returns to it some day.

The precious light of the seven gardens crumbled, but had returned back to where it had always belonged. The heart repaired, everything could finally return back to the way it was always meant to be. A new kingdom was going to have to grow now in its place. A new kingdom that this time included all that had been so deprived of light that its citizens had almost given up on hope itself. They had been locked outside, only able to observe, noses pressed against the glass. Now that the wall had fallen, they were going to be able to take their first tentative steps forward across that barrier line.

Over-parched, the earth opened up to the torrent of rain that followed, as if the world itself was finally ready to wash away its long period of suffering, ready to begin anew. Despite all the fear and uncertainty, for the first time in generations it felt like the storm to dissipate it all had finally come. Genuine laughter echoed across the cobbled streets as nearly everyone tilted their heads towards the unexpected shower. Despite the rain, the sky was just as blue, the sun shining down from above as if to comfort anyone with doubt that it was all truly going to be okay.

However, the most unexpected thing that no one could truly explain was the tree.

No one really knew how, but from the center of the ruins of the old temple, a camphor tree, massive and wonderful had burst from the very core of the world where the dark seed had once lived, stretching its fresh boughs towards the sun, shooting up into the sky.

It was magic, most claimed, because there seemed to be no other way to explain it.

When both halves of the world heart united, this new form had burst forth, born from the seed almost instantly. What were once vines of darkness filled in with color and life, becoming roots that flowed all the way to the core of the earth.

It was a tree that bridged it all. The very symbol of the heart of the world, fully restored and brimming with life. The seed, now whole, sprouted into something new.

As the water of the fresh rain splashed down among its leaves, the whole world could be seen reflected, shimmering. Within each drop were the memories of the world, even if only in echo.

The pools of rainwater traced their way to the tips of the leaves, then when too heavy, dropped down to the next. Each brief fall letting them gaze once more upon the world and take in new sights and memories.

Every drop had already seen so many things. So many dreams of the past.

For water flows in all things. It seeps into the ground where it will some day rise to become the rain and fall again. An unending cycle of time, of life, of memory.

All was once more as it should be. The cycle reconnected.

Among the leaves of that grand new tree, however, one reflection in particular kept catching the light, playing out across the pools of water. A reflection of something that should not be.

Something that had somehow defied all fate to be.

* * *

"The world is in balance once more." Maleficent hummed to herself slightly, stroking the jet black feathers of her raven as she continued observing the pouring rain as it bounced across the leaves of the great mother tree.

And while her eyes caught sight of the unexpected image reflected in the water, she did not comment on it, nor did her face betray any emotion at the discovery. The dollop of water pooled and eventually grew too large for the tiny leaf to handle. The greenery tipped the weight off, and down it fell.

Maleficent adjusted her attention to the girl sitting next to her, balanced daintily on a thin branch.

"Where will you go from here, might I ask?"

"I could ask the same of you." Ellone's sing-song voice chirped out, and her pale hand reached down to adjust one of her sandals back into place. "But, to be candid, I believe I have actually found a promising pupil."

Maleficent pondered for a moment. "Ah. The quiet one? Yes, she seems to have quite a bit of potential. Reminds me of you, in a way. At least drawing is far less distracting a hobby than feeding wild sparrows."

Ellone laughed jovially and rested her elbows on her knees, leaning forward. "My sparrows can't have been _that_ troublesome. Either way, I have quite a lot to arrange. I also cannot altogether forgive you for the terrible mess you dragged my dear brother into. It will take quite a while to shake him from those ghosts."

Feeling the mood had changed and saying nothing more on the matter, Maleficent tapped her shoulder, beckoning for Dante to return to his perch there. She then turned, and took a few steps away, but paused briefly as if caught in thought.

"I do have one more question, if you will enlighten me."

"Hmm?"

She gestured quietly towards a nearby raindrop, still reflecting the unexpected image across its surface. The faces were warped across the curved surface, but unmistakable.

Three souls, clinging to each other though waves of slumber, hands still clasped tight. Battered, exhausted, shivering and cold...

But despite all that fate had written, there they were.

"Your doing?"

"Not entirely." Ellone smiled towards the reflection in the nearby raindrop. "All of them together threw destiny off her course. A destiny that would surely have ended in tragedy. They pitched themselves off together in complete free-fall with only the slightest chance to survive. And had but one piece not aligned, it would have all been for naught. They are the ones who brought the pieces together. I merely...rearranged a few to click into place. Not to mention what beautiful threads they have connecting to one another."

"I thought you could only transfer memories. I never recall ever teaching you something as complicated as _blood_ magic."

Ellone sighed and smoothed down her skirt across her lap. "Sometimes desperate needs breed fantastic results. I also could not have acted if they had not desired it first."

"Indeed. I suppose its also a basic math problem in the end. Three bodies. One empty, two full. Split among the three...two thirds surely is enough to survive, just barely. I am quite envious of their luck." She once more continued her exit, her shoes lightly clacking along the cobblestones. "When they finally awaken, do give them my regards and tell them it was all quite...amusing."

It was just like Maleficent to never properly say farewell. She was quite stubborn in that regard. Tipping her eyes higher up the world tree, Ellone smiled in the direction of the three she knew were still there, resting quietly under its protective boughs, their dreams comforted by the light pattering of rain on leaves.

Their sleeping image continued to be reflected among the droplets that passed them by.

It was a new dawn. And perhaps quite fittingly, the first thing those three were likely to see upon waking up to the expanse of the newly free kingdom stretching before them, was the brilliant and bright shimmer of a rainbow breaking its way through the rain. Perched on the branches of the guardian tree they could take in a fresh gulp of freedom and sigh it out in awe at the beauty of the world.

Ellone hummed her song, a smile playing across her lips.

A new kingdom. One that fostered compassion and friendship, built upon the connections and love.

"I wonder what such a place will be called..."

* * *

She had felt the darkness.

She had felt it rip into her, but she couldn't even cry out. Everything was so cold everywhere but in her hand where he held on tight. She could hold onto little else. The memories were being torn from her. Her very existence being erased into the night.

 _Sora. Sora. Sora._

Somehow she felt like if she said his name enough it would be the thread that would keep her from fading completely. That was what she clung to through the void, even as everything else scattered apart.

There was no sound, but she could still hear his desire to save her, echoing in her ear.

"Even if you forget yourself, Kairi, I'll remember."

 _Kairi. I am Kairi._

And from the fringes, color began to soak back into the tapestry of her vision. Glowing and bright, soft and gentle, much like the steady illumination of a landscape at dawn, the light spread.

She continued to repeat his name, steadily, slowly...feeling warmth prick the edges of her fingers and move up her arm.

...feeling warmth.

 _"I want to believe that you will find it some day, Kairi. But perhaps it is not something that can be found by one person alone. Even if that is the case, never doubt your own power. Because I know you will understand what light truly is, and what it should be."_

The memories flooded back.

 _"...there's always something good and wonderful out there that's worth fighting for. I know there are a lot of people you can still help somehow just by being you."_

Feeling.

 _"You must survive. Your compassion and kindness is what will save this world, I know it."_

Hope.

 _"Their love helped my true strength awaken and I could save countless others in turn. It is ever so clear to me that this kingdom cannot survive on our traditions alone, by burying our hearts in the sand!"_

Faint drops of rainwater tickling her nose.

 _"The path I want to follow is the one with you at my side."_

A hand tenderly brushing her skin dry...

 _"All you have to know is that a kiss that means you want to be together forever with someone special. That's all."_

The quintessential ending of any faerie tale, and the ones she always liked best, were the ones when all hope seemed lost, with storm clouds looming, with the princess lying in a death-like sleep...when she is gently awoken by the affection of her loving knight in brilliant armor. One who turned usually turned out at the end of the story to be a prince in disguise.

Her eyes flickered open and she saw such a beautiful wash of color it took her a moment to try breathing again. She loved how sky blue his eyes were. But more than that, she had missed that genuine, yet slightly carefree smile.

Sora really was the most unconventional knight she had ever known. But maybe, just maybe, he actually had that whole...'princely' thing down after all.

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a long journey, way longer than I anticipated initially, but I can finally say this is, for the most part, the end. (Sorry about all the incorrect notes before...whoops). Once again I want to say thank you for reading. Maybe for my next story I'll try something a bit...shorter. Though I suppose that always starts off as the intention and then, well...  
**

 **There will be one final chapter following this with an epilogue of sorts. Mostly I wanted to wrap up a few more things that didn't fit in this chapter, but also as I was editing there were just a few more scenes I really wanted to write. I'll save my final thoughts for there. (^^)**

 **-A. Moth**


	25. The End is only a new beginning (part 1)

Kairi huddled down under the heavy blanket, glad to have its warmth during the torrential rain she could hear pouring outside. Much like the wool, she was comforted and warmed by its presence, but there were still errant itchy fibers that stuck into her arm as if only to remind her of their unpleasantness.

It was a new beginning. She should be happy…

And those first few amazing days were the most hopeful she had ever felt. Being able to fully mingle with the people in town, offering them assistance and support in such a personal way. She had never even dreamed it could have been possible for her.

But that unsettling unease scratched at her arms all the more as the days continued on. It made it hard to concentrate fully on all her new responsibilities. There were laws to adjust, infrastructure to reorganize, displaced citizens to relocate. And because the dark seed was no longer affecting it, all the water in the kingdom was now flowing according to gravity. Whole swaths of irrigation channels needed rearranging. That wasn't even addressing the general fear and apprehension among the people now that their long held religious beliefs were proven to be moot. The church was in shambles and there was no illusion of safety to protect them.

All sorts of uncharted ground needed, well, charting and she was chomping at the opportunity to fully bring about all the changes she knew this world needed. She was going to set things right, refusing to let her home fall to chaos. With Sora and Riku at her side she had full confidence in moving forward.

...so what was wrong?

Perhaps being back in the castle, even just in the guest house was making her feel cramped. It had far too many connections to her old life.

The wool around her itched even more. Irritated, she threw the blanket off of herself.

Kairi turned her gaze out at the stormy cloud cover over the massive camphor tree. It was still such a new sight, but it's boughs already felt like a long lost button finally re-sewn back onto a faithful well-worn vest. It was something that should have always been there but somewhere along the way went missing. Though she had no actual memories of it, the moment it had returned, she couldn't question its place. It was exactly where it should be.

Yet the longer she gazed at it, the more she felt like she couldn't say the same about herself.

Where was her place? Surely it should be _here_.

There was an uneven knocking at the door and she called out, waiting for her guest to enter.

While she had half expected it to be Sora, she hadn't expected it to be Sora attempting to balance a number of bowls of soup on a tray. There were at least four. _Someone_ must be hungry.

"Volunteering at the kitchen, I see." She giggled and got up to help him with the cumbersome-looking dishes.

Once the tray was safely set on the table he breathed out a sigh of relief and cheered. "Didn't spill a drop!"

Secure in his knowledge that his delivery was complete, Sora turned his attention to her, giving her a gentle touch on her forehead to check her temperature. "Feeling any better?"

She wasn't lying when she gave him a grateful nod. While she had been quite melancholy before, his presence seemed to immediately dissipate the dreary oppressive sadness leeching from the walls.

Glad to hear it, he swapped his hand out for a quick kiss just under her bangs. At least this time her wobbly knees weren't from being ill. Unless lovesick was a disease? Either way, it was a good excuse as any to justify snuggling close to him for balance.

He smoothed her hair back down and grinned. "I hope kisses are still magic. I wished pretty hard on that one."

It was such a silly thing to say, but she understood what he really meant by it. His over sized smile didn't do much to hide his concern. Maybe she really had been pushing herself too hard, too soon, causing him extra worry...aaand hello, guilt.

"Thank you. I believed it helped a bunch. I really do feel fine now." She gave him a grateful and reassuring smile, reaching up to twirl her fingers though his hair.

The best blessing these past few days had been all the time she could spend by his side. Through that she had learned quite a number of things about him, including just how much he loved having his hair played with. Also that it was far, _far_ too much fun to tease him.

"It's been _awfully lonely_ in here, you know. Are you just here to deliver soup, or...maybe to keep me company?" She leaned in closer, playfully bouncing her finger off an unruly spike or two.

Mission accomplished.

She saw him bashfully avert his gaze and swallow.

"W-uh, well it's just two of, not...alone..."

While he had generally gotten far more bold and comfortable with showing his affection around her, it still pleased her that even the simplest demure smile of hers could make someone as vivacious as him fall into a complete babbling tizzy, unable to finish his sentence properly.

She giggled again, gently tugging on his ear to stop his imagination from dizzily spinning away with him. "I didn't quite catch that. Care to try again?"

"You should rest more, to be safe." From the doorway, Riku's sudden intruding voice was more of a chide than a suggestion.

She jumped with the slightest yelp at the sound and Sora laughed, trying to do his best to calm down the red in his face by giving his own cheeks a few weak slaps. "S-sorry, I tried to warn you he was here."

Kairi stuck her tongue out at the sudden intruder in playful defiance, knowing he had ruined her carefully crafted atmosphere. "Oh, it's only a fever. And mostly gone now, besides."

She erased her rude face in shock when she realized that her cousin was entering as well, but had been previously obscured by Riku's height.

"Oh! Namine!"

"You shouldn't take your health so lightly."

Riku's expression was still quite stern and he dipped his chin in agreement. "You've been working constantly but your body is still recovering. I'm surprised you didn't get faint and collapse earlier."

Scolded. Worst of all, they were _coordinated_ about it. And while Sora hadn't said much directly himself, judging by the look on his face he agreed with the others but was biting his tongue. With a sigh she plopped back down on the bed, wrapping herself back up in the slightly itchy blanket.

"Overruled, I guess."

"Are you sure you can't just slow down a little? An afternoon off here and there?" Sora rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. It was doing wonders to relieve her tension.

Though she wanted to argue back she knew he was probably right. And while she greatly enjoyed all the physical attention he was doting on her lately with his fretting, it was far too difficult to be happy seeing him so...anxious.

"I know I should hold back, but it just makes me feel awful, sitting around, doing nothing..."

Sora hummed a bit uncomfortably, but before he could fully voice his complaint, she pressed a finger against his mouth to silence him.

"I know, I know. If I don't take care of myself first I can't help anyone else. But still..."

He lifted her finger off his lips and clasped her hand in his. Warm. Firm, yet gentle. She felt herself going weak again. At least this time she was already sitting down.

"That's not all I was gonna say. I think part of your problem might be having to come back to this place every night. I mean..." He glanced over his shoulder at the looming portrait of a very old, very dour man glaring down at them all and shivered. "Sir Grumps over there isn't the best company. I was thinking you need a change of scenery."

She tipped her head towards the window, giving him a coy smile. "You mean the massive tree now growing out there isn't change enough?"

Knowing she was purposefully being facetious, he tapped her softly on the nose, releasing her hand back to her. "I actually have something special in mind. Now, I don't wanna say too much because it's supposed to be a surprise, but I ran it past them and they've been working really hard to get the place all fixed up so we can stay there instead. It didn't get too damaged during the collapse, but they kind of want to make a good impression so they're-"

Well, this was sudden. "Stay? Where? And who is they?"

He grinned, not answering a single one of her questions. "Trust me, they're all _really_ excited. Plus...I did promise I'd take you some day. It should all be ready soon, though! What do you think?"

He waited for her response with the biggest smile, perhaps reveling a bit too much in his excitement at being enigmatic. Well, whatever surprise he had cooked up she was sure it couldn't hurt. Besides, he was spot on about that awful painting.

Riku seemed to wordlessly agree, shifting his chair so he didn't have to look at it. "It's not too far from the castle. Moving there shouldn't interfere with any of your work."

"I also think it would do you good." Even Namine weighed in with support, pulling her own chair up to the table.

Coordinated again. They all must have been discussing this for a while. Why did it suddenly feel like everyone was plotting things behind her back? She twisted her face to the side, trying to decide if she should chide them about it.

But one look at that adorably enthusiastic face of his and she knew Sora had already won her over anyway. How could she be angry when he was looking at her like that?

Kairi tucked her legs into her chest under the massive blanket and smiled. "Okay, you all win. We'll go when you say it's ready."

Suddenly remembering something she sat upright, hastily lifting up one finger in interjection. "S-so long as you aren't moving me into your mom's house! I do love her, she's very sweet and has a huge heart, but she also has a tendency to, um..."

"Never stop hugging? Trust me, I've had more than my fair share of that." Riku rolled his eyes, his face reflecting years of endured suffering.

Luckily, Sora didn't seem bothered by the criticism and laughed. "I'm not gonna argue about that point. But don't worry, this place is a hundred percent Riku approved!"

"More like seventy-five."

"Aw come on, way to help me out here..." Sora scowled at him for a moment before merrily plucking up one of the nearby soup spoons and waggling it in his friend's face. "I'll just have to make sure you get the one soup with _all_ the carrots in it."

Riku grimaced and knocked the mocking spoon away. "Don't even joke about that."

Watching the two of them play around, Kairi felt a strong wave of contentment. Having their company was enjoyable on its own. Even when they all had settled down to eat and were sitting mostly in silence to the sound of the rain pattering outside, she felt wholesome and warm. At least in the company of her friends, she could ignore the nagging voice for just a moment that was telling her something still wasn't right.

As she ate, however, the one thing she couldn't ignore was Namine's urgent gaze. Something must have happened during the meeting with Ienzo she had to leave early from.

Kairi gave her cousin a concerned tap on the shoulder. "Is everything alright? I didn't miss anything too important, did I?"

Namine furrowed her brow and set the remains of her dinner on the nearby table rather than push it around any longer with a listless spoon. "I'm not sure if now is the best time. You're still..."

"If it's that important I'll have to make time."

Just like she always did when anxious, Namine reached into her side satchel and withdrew her sketchbook. She didn't draw anything; just raked her fingers along the paper.

"Ienzo...he told me the nobles are growing restless. They want answers about the direction the kingdom will move in. More importantly they are frustrated you haven't officially taken the throne yet, nor had a coronation ceremony. They were content waiting a while but now..."

Kairi sat up in alarm, her blanket tumbling off her shoulders. "But in my initial proclamation I made it very clear I wanted to prioritize-"

"Yes, I know. But it's difficult for those used to the old systems to change so fast. They see no one on the throne as a sign of weakness in very trying times." Tapping her fingers on the blank pages, Namine sighed. "There's just far too strong an undercurrent of anxiety."

"What makes a kingdom strong is its people, not having someone stand up and say 'I'm the ruler' in some fancy over the top ceremony." Kairi slapped the blanket next to her in frustration. Why was this concept so hard for those stuffy headed nobles to understand?

Riku frowned. "Not to sound argumentative, but there is some merit to those types of events, even if just for improving morale. They can be a welcome break for people to celebrate."

While he did have a point, the notion that the kingdom was weak just because she didn't do some parading around with a crown was still upsetting. Sensing her irritation, Sora gave her some gentle rubs up along her back.

"Don't worry about what those fuddies think. What do _you_ want to do?"

His touch was all too comforting, and she leaned sideways so she could rest her head against his shoulder. "I'm not opposed to officially being Queen..."

She closed her eyes, reflecting over her new life as it had been the last few days. "I love this kingdom. I love its people. I want to help them any way I can. Now that I can be among them it finally feels like I can make a difference."

"You already are." Riku did have a tendency to speak brusquely at times, even with compliments. Somehow, though, that made them feel particularly genuine.

Kairi brightened. "It feels so right when I can be _there_ : delivering food rations, collecting medicinal grass, helping prepare community meals...working to fix things from the ground up with all of you together with me. It feels like that's what I'm suited for."

Sora eagerly bobbed his head in agreement, squeezing her tight in a side hug. "There's no hiding how happy you look out there. Like Riku said, you're doing great stuff."

"If I was the Queen, I would still be able to do all of those things, so...there's no reason for me to object..."

Then why did she feel that gnaw of hesitation? Her eyes once more were magnetically drawn out the window to that tree. "All I want to do is help everyone...everyone out there..."

Namine sighed, folding her hands on her lap in her endlessly graceful way. "Do you think I could have a moment alone to talk with her about things? Girls only?"

"S-sure..." Sora's hesitation made sense, and he was clearly having trouble taking his concerned eyes off of her. "Kairi, um...I know this is something you need to figure out for yourself, but...let me know if I can help. Anytime, anything at all!"

She couldn't help but smile at his attempts to be cheerful. It was such an endearing quality.

Re-energized and with great gusto, Sora jumped up and began collecting the empty soup bowls. He then gave Riku a joking prod with his elbow. "Guess we're on dish duty today!"

"Joy."

Before the two of them could leave, Kairi yanked Sora back over to her by the front of his shirt. He yelped, teetering and trying not to drop his tower of bowls but she immediately silenced him with a very soft, brief kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for the soup...and for your loving support, as always. I'll come see you later, okay?"

He shakily exhaled, blushing intensely while doing his best to readjust the dishes in his arms. Even when he finally found his voice, it still came out as a stammer. "Y-yeah, no problem!"

Riku snorted and grabbed two bowls from off the top of the stack. "Come on, before you break something."

Even though he was still a bit dazed, Sora gave her the brightest smile and waved as he was dragged out the door. "L-later, then!"

She nodded back, relishing in knowing that in this moment at least, that enchanted smile of his was meant for her alone.

And it was never going to get old.

Once the two boys had finally marched out of the room, Namine cleared her throat and set her sketch papers on the table. That could only signal the following conversation was going to be terribly, terribly important.

"There's something holding you back. I can see it on your face." Namine said with the utmost bluntness.

"I...can't really deny that. If only I knew what it was..." The world tree just outside the window was so beautiful, its branches stretching up into the endless sky. Kairi continued to stare at it.

"If I may...Kairi, what is it that you are constantly looking for out there?"

Maybe the fact that she was frequently drawn to looking out the window was more obvious than she thought.

Kairi pensively closed her eyes. "When I saw the world from the top of that tree, the land was stretching out far beyond the furthest mountain. I know that land was lost to the darkness for countless generations, but...I couldn't help feeling that there must be something out there. _Someone_ out there. I know it. Our gardens can't be all there is."

Namine turned her elegant and steady gaze out the window as well.

"That's true. It would be foolish to think that everything was destroyed. Humanity has a wonderful way of hanging on even in the darkest of times. You're proof of that."

Kairi shook her head at the unnecessary compliment. "You too! But more to the point, part of me feels responsible for their suffering. Our kingdom has flourished because of the light that was meant to be theirs."

Her cousin rolled her fingers across her sketchbook very slowly, one heavy tap at a time. "While I understand why you'd feel it needs to be personally apologized for, you are in no way _actually_ responsible. Don't blame yourself."

There was no way that Kairi could argue the notion that Namine didn't understand her feelings about the subject. Of course she did. There was likely no one who had been more personally acquainted with her mind.

"I also was thinking...if there are people out there I want to help them just as much as I want to help those living here now. Even if they hate me for who I am, I'd want to let them know they aren't alone anymore. More than ever this fragmented world needs to reconnect itself one way or another."

Namine nodded along to her words. "That all sounds reasonable so far. What if we sent out a representative? Some sort of good-will ambassador of sorts?"

It was a valid suggestion, but Kairi frowned at the thought. "That almost feels like...imagine if a thief, feeling guilty about his past crimes, just writes an anonymous apology letter to the shop owner without actually returning what was stolen, or even having the courage to meet face-to-face. Any apology like that feels hollow and self-serving. If anyone else but me, the one who actually bears the burden of our ancestors, were to meet those living out there...I'm afraid the apology may be taken as an insult or too suspect to trust. The last thing I want to do is create a world of hate and resentment."

Her cousin sighed heavily, straightening out the hem of her skirt flat on her lap. "What are you still confused about, then? It's very clear you want to personally and properly make those amends before you take the crown. So I think you should. That seems to be both problem and solution right there."

Kairi froze, shocked at the notion. "Namine, it's...that may seem alright in theory, but I can't just leave to go wander about an uncharted world, knowing the kingdom is in this state. Everyone is barely holding on _here_ as it is!"

"For now. But maybe in a few months once things have settled down...surely a steward, or viceroy of sorts could monitor things for you until you return?"

Kairi ignored her point entirely, clutching for yet another argument, any argument to deny the nagging realization that what Namine suggested actually made a lot of sense.

"B-but...you've heard the rumors about the monsters as well, right? The shadow creatures the guards say now prowl just outside the kingdom's border? They have been able to fend them away from our gates somehow but who knows what manner of beasts are out there we haven't yet seen. While I can still use my light power, it's unrefined and clunky. I'd be defenseless against them. I can't possibly-"

"I never said you should go alone. Kairi, you know just as well as I do that he would come with you in a heartbeat. Both of them, I'm sure."

Kairi's breath froze in her throat. "But if they do, they will have to leave behind... _everything_. Everyone else..."

Namine gently placed her hand on Kairi's knee. "I know you. If you don't go out there you'll forever be turning your eyes out to that horizon, wondering if those people will ever find the hope they have been missing. You'll never be truly happy."

A lone tear snaked its way down across her cheek, and she hastily rubbed it away by squishing her face full on into her blanket. Namine was right. Absolutely, heart-breakingly right.

"Sora and Riku have worked _so hard_ to get me here. I want them to be able to enjoy the peace they fought for. Just because I feel responsible for the mess out there doesn't mean they deserve to be dragged into yet another dangerous situation. I could get all of us killed, and..."

"You'll just have to talk to them about it."

The thought of a conversation like that filled her with absolute rocks-in-her-stomach dread.

 _Worst of all, what if they said they wanted to stay here?_

Morosely flopping back onto her bed, she blindly picked at some blanket fibers with her fingers. "There's no way I can leave. You said I could get a steward but who would possibly want to-"

"Honestly, Kairi. I'm here, aren't I? Wouldn't you trust me enough not to destroy things? I know I accidentally spilled that cup of water on your drawing once when we were children but between the two of us generally _you_ are the clumsy one."

A very valid point. After herself, Namine was technically already next in line for the crown. As children they had often pretended that their roles were reversed, just in jest. Namine would pose as the crown princess, while Kairi dutifully sketched her picture with pastels. It had always made Kairi a little jealous at how beautifully regal Namine could look, and how well she could imitate her mother's elegant sitting posture. But games were very different from reality.

"I can't ask you to-"

"I'm volunteering. If that's the direction you want to take, I want to support you. Think things over and do what you think is not only good for the kingdom but what will make you happy."

"What about _your_ happiness? I'd be tying you down here, forcing all my duties on you."

" _Unlike_ you, I actually enjoy meetings. I've already gotten lots of experience just in these last few days helping you get things organized. Obviously you wouldn't be leaving until everything is more stable so that's even more time for me to get a proper handle on everything."

It was true that Namine had been invaluable help. She had also really taken to the political side of everything faster than Kairi had herself.

"I...I'm still not sure. It seems like it could work, but..."

"Also...please keep this a secret between us for now, but I spoke with Ellone. She...heavily recommended for me to study magic under her and I really want to do it."

Kairi's eyes widened. "Magic? As in...memory manipulation? That sort of thing?"

"Maybe..." Namine shifted in her chair anxiously. "She...said I would have a high propensity for it, and wanted me to be her pupil."

While there was a lot about magic that still struck Kairi with fear, especially when she considered how terrifying a sorceress Maleficent had been, she certainly understood the appeal of learning it. At least Ellone was far less daunting a figure, and there was no doubt a recommendation from her carried heavy weight.

"It sounds challenging, but I believe in you." She smiled. "You did always like the stories with witches in them the most, didn't you? Maybe it really is meant to be."

Namine blushed a bit, combing her fingers nervously through the waves of her golden hair. "It will take a lot of daily effort. So as you can see...remaining here is quite beneficial for me."

It was a lot to take in. Kairi's head was spinning, feeling like her fever was coming back full force. What was she going to do…? If Namine would really be happy...then, maybe...

"You should follow destiny when it calls you, my dear." Ellone's voice startled the both of them. How long had she been standing in the corner of the room?

"M-miss Ellone..."

"Oh pick up that dropped chin of yours, it doesn't suit your face at all."

Kairi complied as fast as she could.

The sorceress, looking in high spirits, swayed her way over to the table and plucked an apple off the center tray of fruit, running her fingers in circles across its waxy skin. "I heard you were planning your escape."

"N-no, I _want_ to stay, but-"

The apple crunched loudly as Ellone bit into it without a care.

She chewed, slowly. Maybe casual arrogance was a sorceress thing. Or it just ran in Seifer's family. At least Kairi was glad that she had recovered without too many obvious ill effects of her long captivity.

"The light powers still at your command will come in handy against the shadows. They are notoriously hard to kill, but I think your touch might do the trick."

A stab of panic hit her right in the stomach. "Notoriously hard to...then what if they try to enter the kingdom!? The barrier is gone and if I'm not here to-"

"I've already purified the weapons in the armory so the guards can properly do their job. Otherwise what good are they? You can thank me later. Once Namine learns a bit more magic she can complete the spell herself. Very easy. I'll teach it to you as well. Then no matter where you go you'll be able to fight and bless the weapons of any allies you come across. Without that blessing it would be the same as wielding air."

Even now there were still repercussions of her ancestors stealing the light that Kairi hadn't even considered. The guilt made her heart burn. "If it's impossible to fight them without light, that means so many people were left defenseless this whole time...it's unforgivable."

Ellone waved her hand lackadaisically through the air. "Now, now, that adorable lover boy of yours is quite a charmer. If you have him with you I'm sure you could befriend even the most sour of strangers and show them how earnest you are in trying to fix things."

"L-lover bo...but I haven't even asked him if he-"

The sorceress completely ignored her and took another juicy bite of apple. It was unsurprising at this point.

"Speaking of, I'll let you in a little trade secret: that same purification spell can be used on _so_ many things. You can cast it on objects to bless them, on others for slight spirit rejuvenation and healing, or even cast it on yourself for various...hmm, internal regulation and _protection_ , if you know what I mean."

One wink from the sorceress and, quick on the uptake, Namine gasped, abruptly tipping her eyes down firmly into her lap. Kairi just froze. Surely she wasn't saying...

Ellone continued without a second thought.

"Lets just say as a woman on the road such a skill can be invaluable. It's one less thing for you to concern yourself over, especially as a beautiful young woman just blossoming into adulthood, accompanied by two virile-"

"S-stop. Please." Kairi snatched up the nearby pillow and buried her face in it, horrified.

"It's important to know these things, my dear. The world out there is a dark place that you are unfamiliar with. And there are a great many evils that would absolutely love to take advantage of your naivety." There was a dark threatening tone to her voice that made Kairi shiver, and she lifted her face from its cushioned cover.

"I know I've been sheltered, but...I refuse to believe evil is the only thing out there."

Ellone smiled mysteriously. "This is exactly why you are suited for the job. However, you'll need to properly defend yourself, both inside and out. I recommend you attend at least a few magic lessons and you should ask your sweetheart for some sword practice. I bet he'd also love to volunteer to test out if your purification magic is fully effective."

She winked at her and Kairi blushed, trying not to think too hard about the possible implications.

"Th-that's, I-"

"There are many terrors of the night. Simply waiting here for it to breach these walls will bring nothing but ruin. You must step out there to meet it, extending a hand out towards a better future for everyone."

Kairi couldn't deny the humming voice calling her beyond the horizon or the desire to help anyone trapped out there. And while Ellone wasn't offering her much opportunity to speak during this entire one sided conversation, Kairi couldn't really deny any of what she was saying.

The question remained: would Sora and Riku feel the same way?

Namine laid a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Kairi...take some time to think about it."

"But the nobles want to know soon who is taking over the kingdom, and when the coronation will be…"

This was all so much, so fast, but she knew she didn't have the luxury of time. Unless...she forced them to give her some.

She clenched the blanket tight in her fist, ignoring the scratching fibers digging into her palm and nodded firmly to herself. "Three days. I'll take three days to decide. After that I'll make a public announcement about everything and we can schedule the coronation as necessary. That should be enough of a compromise."

Kairi hoped that in that time she would be able to steel her heart enough to decide what she wanted and find the courage to request such heavy burdens on those she loved.

Namine cleared her throat. "Since Sora's not here to do it, allow me."

With an adorable hesitancy, she bopped her on the head with the flat of her palm. "You aren't solely responsible for this kingdom. Don't be afraid to ask us for help. Especially those two. They literally walked with you towards death itself. I understand you are terrified of losing them, but they are there for you. Always."

Kairi had almost forgotten how wonderful it was to have her cousin back again as a voice of reason. Closing her eyes, Kairi recalled that dark night, and the exact feeling of their hands in hers, taking comfort in the sense of calm it brought her.

"Thank you."

* * *

Ienzo hadn't been happy with her request to delay her decision, but she stubbornly held her ground and he wasn't very equipped to argue. She was also somewhat glad that, other than letting her know they were happy to lend advice or an ear should she need it, neither Sora nor Riku had asked her to reveal her thoughts on the looming threat of her coronation, the announcement, or anything. It remained unspoken among the three of them that she was free to make up her own mind.

...And she had exactly three days to do it.

While deciding for herself hadn't been too difficult, actually opening up to the two of them and asking them what they wanted for their future was proving far more troublesome than she had imagined. Hours and hours she stayed up late at night, mulling it over, but was unable to find the phrasing she was satisfied with. Putting off the conversation only made the gnawing fear of it grow, which in turn made it that much harder to mention. As each day ticked by, her time was running short and the pressure worse.

She suspected both Sora and Riku had guessed something was bothering her, but knew better than to try and force it out. Throughout the day during reconstruction efforts they were constantly trying to get her to smile, offering help, and during any break time were introducing her to all manners of games, foods and customs from the little neighborhoods around the castle she had never been allowed to experience before.

For two days her life was wonderful, but each moment spent in bliss cut a little into her heart with the fear that it would end. And all too soon the night of the third day arrived, with her no closer to confessing to them the source of her recent troubles.

Kairi assumed she must have looked particularly agitated the whole day because Sora ended up dragging her away from her meetings early, inviting both himself and Riku into her room still guarded by Sir Grump the painting, now hidden under a thick blanket, to play card games. And not just any card games—they were all ones with nefarious names quite popular among the knights as a way to pass dull nights. More importantly, all involved some form of gambling.

She eagerly went along with it, enjoying the distraction.

"So...because this card is the same suit as the dragon, it's the strongest suit now, right? Does...that mean it beats your card?" Kairi hesitantly tried to make sense of the match up of cards, dice and betting tokens lying on the table.

Sora scratched at the back of his head with a shaky laugh. "Y-yeah, basically."

Immediately, Kairi realized the problem. "Oh! But you don't have any tokens left..."

"Looks that way, doesn't it..." He hung his head briefly with a defeated sigh. "You got me pretty good."

Having barely known what she was doing this whole time she felt a little guilty knocking him out of the game first. "W-wait, I can take back the-"

He quickly reached out to stay her hand, laughing. "No way! Rule number one: there's no mercy in Dancing Dragons. Take your victory, enjoy it..." Sora then glanced eagerly over the table to where Riku was sitting stoically. "...and go kick his butt in my honor."

Kairi nervously glanced over at her one remaining opponent. While Riku was certainly an intimidating one, maybe the pure luck and unnatural talent that had gotten her this far could carry her the whole way.

Sitting up straight, she leaned forward onto her elbows and grinned playfully. "You'd better watch yourself. I'm going to go all out now."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Without a word of hesitation, Riku placed the first card, signaling the next challenge.

With Sora cheering her on she prepared her own hand. It was hard not to feel extra motivated with him snuggling up right behind her to get a view of her cards. Riku snapped and pointed a sharp finger in his direction.

"Don't think you can whisper strategy in her ear without me noticing."

Sora pulled a silly face, taunting his friend. "No way, Kairi can take you down all by herself!"

It was an adorable show of confidence. She focused intensely, not wanting to disappoint him after such a declaration. His eyes carefully scrutinizing her cards did make her feel a little nervous, however.

Without any further fanfare, the battle of the dragons continued, far more fierce than the round before.

She hesitated on her next move, wondering if she was missing an obvious trap. "You aren't taking it easy on me are you?"

The corner of Riku's lip twitched slightly. "Wish I was, at this point."

"Oh. Well in that case..." She gave him a glib apology just as she laid her next card down. Across the table, Riku didn't even bother returning fire; he just sighed and wordlessly flicked the final few tokens over to her that represented the last of his available betting pool.

"That's it, then. Flawlessly done."

This time she gave him a far more sincere nod of her head. "I know how competitive you both are. Maybe I shouldn't play this anymore. I'm sure it's no fun if I end up constantly...um, what did you say it was called earlier? Sweeping the board? I...think I used that term right?"

Riku chuckled under his breath. "...unfortunately."

Still celebrating her victory with cheers, Sora counted out the tokens she had managed to accumulate with widened eyes. "No fun, are you _kidding_? We could totally clean house with you on our team at the next barracks tournament! That is...if you wanna come?"

He looked so excited at the notion that she knew she couldn't possibly turn down his invitation even if she hadn't secretly been hoping to be brought along to such things.

"I'll look forward to it. Though...I can't guarantee my luck today will repeat itself."

Sora winked playfully. "No problem, we just gotta come up with a team name that will strike fear into anyone who opposes us!"

Riku groaned and leaned back into his chair. "If I'm going to be part of this team then any name has to go through me first."

Undaunted by the restriction, Sora immediately began to mull a few possibilities over in his head. "What about...the Warriors of Light!"

"No."

"Uh...Knights of the Round?"

"I don't think so."

Sora crossed his arms. "Aw, I liked that one..."

Rolling his eyes, Riku leaned into the small card table heavily as he stood up to stretch. "Right, well it's something for you to ponder for next time. I think at this point we are overstaying our welcome. Kairi has a big announcement to make tomorrow in front of the whole kingdom so she should get her rest."

Oh. Oh no, they were leaving.

 _Just be honest._

So much easier said than done. The two of them likely assumed that tomorrow she was going to stand up and announce her intention to rule the kingdom, maybe even set a date for her coronation. And given their general attitudes so far, both seemed fully accepting of that notion. But if that wasn't to happen…would they still accept her decision? After all, they both had so many wonderful, loving friends here…

Her distracting thoughts gave her too long a pause, allowing Riku to already manage dragging Sora halfway to the door.

Smiling dozily, Sora gave her a slight wave. "Sorry, guess it is getting kinda late. But if you need anything you know where to fin-"

"W-wait." Jumping up, she snatched his hand up in her own, a bit panicked. Her plea came out so forceful, at least, that Riku stopped pulling. The two of them froze.

"Please stay. Tonight is the last...I can't wait on this anymore. It's been unbearable. Night after night I'm lying here and it's all I can think about."

Her thoughts were still so jumbled, and the terror of the impending conversation sent her heart beating in such a flurry it was hard to get her words straight.

Concerned, Sora's brow furrowed slightly. "Hey...I've told you before you can tell me anything. Even if you don't want my advice I can just be an ear to listen. What's wrong?"

The pure raw terror that the future she needed for herself and the ones they might desire were diverging apart was the worst feeling in the world. Being together with them every day filled her with so much joy that the thought of those days ending was horrifying.

"There's something I have to confess. Before tomorrow. You see, the world is so big and there are so many things I don't know but I _want_ to know. I might technically be a woman, nearly a Queen, but I don't feel like it yet. As I am I'm too ignorant, too sheltered..."

Her hands were trembling so much that she had to clasp them together. Sora laid his own hand on top of hers, trying to help keep them steady.

"For what its worth, you have really good instincts and your heart is in the right place. No matter how much experience you have, I think the fact that you want to help as much as possible is maybe even more important. No one expects you to be perfect right away."

His words meant a lot, but he still didn't understand the whole situation yet. She shook her head, trying to figure out how to even begin to explain the rest of it.

"Thank you for always believing in me...but I've already decided on what I need to do to feel like I'm ready. To fully feel like I'm not just a child who can't stand on her own anymore. Though saying it out loud is..."

He tipped his head to the side curiously. "It's okay. What is it?"

 _I'm not taking the throne. Not yet. I'm leaving. I'm going to fully make up for all the wrong-doings of the past so everyone can start a new beginning, together._

"Well, it's...it's not...I want to exp-no...I want to see th-no..." The right words just weren't coming out. She shivered, pressing herself closer to him in desperation and fear.

 _I don't want to go alone._

"No...when it comes down to it, what I really want is you. I want you, Sora."

She felt him stagger a bit. "H-huh?"

"Having to go off alone is...I can't bear the thought of it. I...even though it feels so wrong to say, the truth is I want to take you. So, so badly. I almost want to force you to come with me but that's wrong. Your desires are important too, and..."

"W-wait a mi-"

She cut him off, her emotions surging as a whole wave of fear and apprehension washed over her. "M-maybe it's too selfish, but I need _someone_ to do this with me and I really want you. I want you to be the one holding my hand through it all. P-please...if it's you then at least I know I won't be afraid."

There were too many things to say, and she was too afraid to say it. She was hoping that Sora could somehow wordlessly understand, but he was frozen, blinking back at her with a somewhat dazed expression on his face.

"I'm not making any sense, am I? At least...at least stay? Please?"

He swallowed. Hard. Then, with the slightest hint of movement he barely managed to bob his head in agreement. It wasn't really like him to be so hesitant, or quiet.

Riku was the first one to break the sudden uncomfortable silence by clearing his throat. "I see. Not exactly...subtle, but I'll leave you two to-"

"Riku, you need to be here too. I was actually hoping all three of us could do it together. I'm scared but if you are both guiding me th-"

"K-Kairi!?" Sora gaped at her, his face steadily growing more and more flushed by the second.

It was also strange to see Riku with such a speechless expression as well. "No disrespect, but I'd rather...not. Besides, it's late..."

A bit hurt by his cavalier and quick dismissal before she could properly explain, Kairi huffed in frustration. "Please! It's important. If you could just stay and listen? It really shouldn't take too long, if you're worried about time."

 _It shouldn't i_ _f I can actually get the words out, I suppose…_

She glanced between the two of them. "Maybe then you can make up your mind if you want to join in or not."

Sora made a strange kind of horrified squeak and Riku continued to look absurdly mystified.

What was their problem!?

She stamped her foot, her face burning with embarrassment and anger, feeling like they were making fun of her somehow. "You two said you were going to be there for me if I needed help and this is incredibly important and I...I only wanted..."

Her eyes betrayed her again as she felt humiliated tears brimming at the corners, threatening to fall. In absolute panic Sora kept frantically looking back and forth between her and Riku, seemingly unable to say anything besides continual distressed stammering.

"Wow..." Riku rubbed at the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Something tells me our messages must be getting crossed here."

She was starting to feel cross herself. Kairi was about to snap back when the more logical part of her brain started kicking at her to pause for a minute. "...W-what do you mean?"

"Well...in the interest of preventing Sora from having a heart attack…" Riku patted a still helplessly dazed, terrified Sora on the shoulder. "Let's just say it sounded like you were, and I apologize for being a bit crass here: propositioning me to listen to and possibly join in with the two of you having an...intimate moment of sorts. With you being particularly dominating, I might add."

"Wh-" Kairi was fairly sure she might have lost consciousness for a moment and she stumbled a few steps backwards. "Don't be ridiculous! O-of course I didn't mean that! Why would you even _think_ that I..."

She glanced at Sora who was still as red as ever, staring _very_ intently at the floor. If it wasn't just Riku who misunderstood her, but him as well, then...

May that very floor swallow her whole. Right now.

Trying his best to explain it, Riku also was struggling to maintain eye contact. "It was a little...difficult not to interpret things that way. Think about everything you just said, _exactly_ how you phrased it."

She tried, but it was nearly impossible since the words had all just sort of tumbled out mindlessly at the time. "I...can't remember now."

Riku groaned. "I can't believe I have to say this. You said, and I quote: I want to take you so badly, your desires are important, hold my hand through it, all of us could do it together...among other suggestive things." He rubbed at his face, clearly uncomfortable. "Can I stop now?"

Oh. Oh, _Gods_ …

She clapped her hands over her face, only peeking out the slightest bit between her fingers.

Riku was valiantly still trying his best to explain, also using his hand as a makeshift shield. "I hope you don't think we are being overly depraved, it's simply with so much potential innuendo like that one after the other without much other clarification..."

That certainly seemed the reason why Sora was standing there like an ice statue. He was probably too shocked to move.

"N-no, I can see exactly why you were both...but I didn't mean it like that! Not at all! I'm so sorry, I wanted to have a conversation about the future, not _that_. I just didn't know where to begin and it's got me all so nervous and now that I'm out of time I just panicked, and..."

She drooped, absolutely defeated, wanting nothing more than to just hurl herself into the nearest pile of blankets and cry herself to sleep.

Stumbling ever so slightly out of his stupor, Sora exhaled deeply. "W-well, uh...y-you successfully got our attention, at least?"

Trying to brush the awkwardness aside with a laugh, he reached over and gave her cheek a tiny pinch to tease her. "You should've just said you needed to talk about this stuff earlier. I'm not that scary, am I? I know Riku can be sometimes..."

Kairi heard Riku click his tongue testily next to her.

"Of course you're not. I'm scared about what your answer will be. I've been terrified to bring it up the last few days because I don't want to lose...well, _this_." She gestured to the three of them.

Dropping all his previous joviality, Sora gave her shoulders a strong, reassuring squeeze. "So _that's_ what was bothering you. Kairi, we aren't going anywhere."

"But...that's just what I was trying to say. What if _I_ do? What if I leave here? Would you actually be okay leaving home to stay by my side?"

Sora tipped his head to the side for a moment before casually shrugging with one of his typical carefree smiles. "I'm kinda confused, but I do know one thing for sure: y _ou're_ my home now, Kairi. No matter where you go, I want to be with you."

"...even if it's going to be a long journey?"

He was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly before sitting promptly down. "Sounds like it might be a long story then, too. Let's hear it. From the beginning this time."

Riku sighed, also retaking his own seat. "As if I could ever sleep easy here knowing you two are off on some mission alone. I assume this is going to affect your coronation and the announcement tomorrow?"

Kairi nodded. "Very much so."

* * *

"Blue."

Namine's eyes scanned the piles of colored pastels scattered across the tabletop, searching for not only the requested color but using her own artistic eye to gauge the exact best hue. Ah, there it was. A beautifully calm blue the same shade as a robin's egg. Plucking it away from its brethren, Namine then delivered the chosen color into the hand of the sassy young madam waiting, twirling one of her blond curls around an errant finger.

"Here you are, Miss Relm. Blue, as requested."

Pursing her lips tight together, Relm stared down her nose at the offering. "Yes, well...I suppose this will do. Excellent work."

Namine dipped her chin down in a seated curtsy, paying her respects to the young child merrily scribbling away. She watched the blue pastel scraping along for a moment before returning her attention to her own ongoing drawing. There was something still not quite right about the expressions…

It was the eyes.

Namine lifted her gaze across the room to examine the group of friends still merrily chatting away. While the tears of joy at the long awaited reunion had long since been replaced with laughter, Namine could still see that same beautiful emotion of pure happiness on each and every one of them: even the one named Selphie, who still had her face firmly buried in Kairi's shoulder blades. It was clear from her tight, unending hug that she was hoping to never have to let go of her friend again. And even though the boy named Hayner was playing rough with Sora, prodding him in the arm a few times with a loose fist, it was all teasing, jovial fun.

What a wonderful home for Kairi to move into for a while, reunited with the friends she had lost. Sora really did have a good sense for how to keep her happy. And while Namine herself had been invited her over to come chat with the group multiple times, somehow it felt much more important to catch this moment in time, stenciled down on paper. To have the honor of witnessing such an inspiring scene was enough for her right now. This was Kairi's reunion and she wasn't going to take that away from her. Besides, someone had to keep the young miss Relm, the only orphan currently staying at Penelo and Vaan's care house, out of trouble and entertained. Pence had been accurate when he warned her she was a handful.

Feeling all the more motivated to get the expressions right, Namine adjusted a few lines here and there, comparing and correcting until she heard the light voice next to her pipe up once more.

"Yellow."

Wanting to help out her fellow artist, Namine began scanning the pastels again for a suitable color for a moment before she noticed that Relm had decided to lean over the table, her sharp eyes greedily scanning the pad of drawing paper with Namine's unfinished sketch laid bare on top.

"Hey...that's actually pretty good, you know."

The girl had a sharp tongue, that was for sure. Namine smiled a bit uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to someone judging an unfinished piece.

"Thank you, but there's still something missing."

"Well it's obvious what that is, silly. It's missing all the color. You need more bright colors. Happy colors. Here, I'll let you borrow the yellow."

Relm snatched the chosen pastel off the table and shoved it in her direction. Namine teased it around between her fingers for a moment, considering.

"I suppose you're right. The world really has gotten much more colorful lately, hasn't it."

Relm rolled her eyes and returned back to her own art. "Told ya so."

In many ways an orphanage would normally be considered a rather somber place, a quiet refuge where one would hope not to linger too long. But Penelo had gone out of her way to make it more like a clubhouse for anyone who at any time in their life needed a place to call home. And apparently they had spent some time decorating it up specifically so Kairi, Sora and Riku could all have rooms to stay there. All sorts of people, each with their own flare and personality had all drifted into their family at one time or another.

So, Relm was right. Her drawing really needed to be a whole tapestry of color.

Namine leaned back into the overstuffed sofa and just observed for a while, enjoying the jovial atmosphere.

"Selphie, you really ought to let Kairi go now. That can't be comfortable, can it?" Olette giggled into her hand, prodding at Selphie's shoulder.

"Nuh-uh, nope. She still owes me like ten million missed hugs so I'm not letting go until they're all accounted for."

Pence gave a low whistle. "Ten million? That's gonna take a while. Maybe even all night."

" _Hugging all night_ , huh?" Something nefarious crossed Hayner's mind and he grinned like an imp. "Sora, you jealous?"

"Wha-? N-no..."

"You suuure?" Eyes narrowed suspiciously, Hayner delightfully began searching for any weak point to exploit further.

Sora leaned away from the intense scrutiny, his face lightly tinged with embarrassment.

Jumping right to his rescue, Penelo gave Hayner a solid chop on the top of his head with the side of her hand. "Don't you try to steer things in an unsavory direction. There are innocent ears present, let me remind you."

Selphie huffed in agreement and twisted her face to the side from out of Kairi's back, jutting her tongue out in Hayner's direction. "Yeah, rude. It's not like Sora has his head in the gutter constantly. Unlike you."

"Oh? But isn't that where we all met? We _are_ sort of an unofficial gutter gang."

Olette wrinkled her nose. "Ew! Do _not_ start calling us that."

Shrugging Vaan tipped his head to the side. "He has a point, though. Besides, can you blame him? We've been waiting _years_ for this."

Kairi hummed in feigned curiosity, her eyes displaying the same ferocity as a poised snake. "Oh? For what, exactly?"

"Sora finally getting s-" Vaan suddenly caught sight of her expression and froze. "Suh..."

Riku cleared his throat, having spent most of this time so far leaning relatively unobtrusively against the wall. "Probably best not to continue that thought."

"I'm sure what Vaan was _trying_ to say," Penelo glared daggers at the boy next to her. "...was that we are all so excited the two of you are finally a pair now. And that we support and love you both. _That's it_."

Olette giggled, bobbing her head around eagerly. "It's so adorably romantic. The fact that Kairi specifically confirmed it in her speech in front of everyone, too." She cleared her throat and posed, hand on her heart in dramatic fashion. "'Sora not only saved my life, but I've entrusted him with my heart forever forward.'"

Both her and Selphie broke down into a fit of excited cooing.

"I only wanted to be honest before possible rumors-" Kairi tried to explain, but the two of them weren't really listening.

"I'm sure everyone already knew because you two are so lovey-dovey together. Don't think we weren't spying on you the other day when you were both out at market street." Selphie snickered and prodded Sora teasingly in the side. "You might've thought you were being sneaky ducking behind those fruit crates to give her a little kiss but I saw the whoooole thing. Too. Cute!"

Kairi tipped her eyes guiltily off to the side, not denying any of it.

While not quite as fawning as the other girls, Penelo also had a light teasing smile slowly making its appearance. "You know, Sora's always been crazy about you, even if he was in denial about it for a while. Just one mention of your name and he'd get _so_ flustered. Just like that face he's making right now."

Called out, Sora tried his hardest to hide his ever reddening cheeks, staring at everywhere but Kairi's direction. "Guys...can we maybe change the subj-"

Selphie forged ahead, glee in her eyes. "And don't even get me started on how helpless he was around other girls, either!"

"Oh?" While hearing this Kairi seemed to immediately perk up, Sora wilted just as much. Poor thing was looking for an escape at this point.

Selphie pressed onward, undaunted by the pleading face of the boy across from her. "First off: sweet as pie, cute to boot _and_ a good fighter? A combination like that does _not_ go unnoticed, let me tell you. He had a fair amount of attention over the years."

Riku snorted. "Try not to compliment him too much or it'll go straight to his head."

Vaan checked over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. "What's that, Riku? Feeling threatened by the potential competition? After all, you were always the most popular one, right? That bad boy aesthetic really did always pull in the attention...exactly how many sweeties have you bagged so far?"

He was perhaps trying to get a rise out of him, but Riku's flat stare shut him down immediately. "Could ask you the same question, but I doubt you'll want to say with Penelo right there."

Penelo's face snapped over to him immediately. "What does he mean by _that_?"

Ignoring the commotion, mostly made up of Vaan's stuttering excuses, Olette gave Sora a fond little pat on the head. "Either way, despite all the attention he gathered, this dense little ragamuffin of ours was always the most clueless thing in the world. There was this one girl, Eiko, from the Wyvern stables that was always practically throwing herself on him-"

"Boy, did Hayner hate that!" Pence burst out laughing.

"Seriously. He's got a thighs-for-days goddess draping herself over him and his reaction is to _ask her if she's tired and needs a chair_. Ugh..."

Each second of Kairi's giggling seemed to send Sora sinking further and further towards the floor.

Riku shrugged. "It's not necessarily a bad thing, Sora. At least you're always honest about how you feel so no one can really claim you were leading them on."

"Maybe...but I still feel bad that I might've hurt feelings here and there without really meaning to."

Hayner gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder. "We were all just worried you'd end up being cluelessly single your whole life, wistfully staring at your dear princess from afar."

Selphie waggled her finger in his face. "Because we all knew what the real problem was. Kairi already had your heart completely from the start. No one else stood a chance."

Now it was Kairi's turn to blush and she began uneasily pawing at the frills on her blouse, her eyes drifting slowly towards the certain someone being subjected to their teasing. Accepting his defeat, Sora sighed for only a moment before straightening back up with his carefree demeanor right back where it belonged, a bright smile on his face.

"Guess I can't really argue with that."

Kairi's blush intensified and, flustered, she began fiddling with her bangs instead.

"S-sorry for the trouble..." However, recovering from her embarrassment quickly, Kairi winked at him with the tiniest coy giggle. "... _I'll_ _make sure you won't regret it._ "

Oh? Bold move. Namine silently giggled to herself at the shock wave that rippled across the room in response. She wasn't quite sure if everyone was affected—certainly not Riku, who she saw already rolling his eyes, and Relm, who wasn't paying attention in the slightest. But among the others there was a certain telltale pause and one single, synchronized gulp. In one fell swoop Kairi's words had managed to unleash a charming spell of remarkable potency.

Hayner lightly punched Sora in the shoulder again. "Lucky bastard."

He was clearly trying, but Sora couldn't mask how pleased he looked at the whole situation.

Olette cooed again and whispered something into Kairi's ear but was shooed away hastily. "Olette! I can't, that's-"

Selphie burst into giggles, snuggling into Kairi's back even tighter, if that was possible. "You're gonna have to tell us eventually! No escape!"

Maybe there wasn't, but Kairi's eyes still searched for one. "I...a-anyway I'm grateful everyone was able to find each other and stay close this whole time. And..." She focused on that special someone across from her. "I'm thankful that you kept Sora safe when I couldn't."

Namine, observing closely, in no way missed that look in her cousin's eye. Nor did she miss the expression he was returning just as fervently.

 _That_ was the look she still hadn't captured in her drawing.

Innocent love, pure and sweet. Such a difficult thing to fully capture down on paper. But now Namine was determined to get it right.

A creak from the doorway and a firm rap of knuckles on the frame drew everyone's attention abruptly over to the new arrival. "Hey losers."

"Huh? Seifer? What are you d-"

Not even letting Sora finish his question, the knight nodded his head over to where Namine was sitting on the couch. "All ready?"

"Yes, just one moment."

Seifer waved his hand lazily and leaned up against the open doorway. In terms of personal guards, Namine was still getting used to him. He had taken over almost immediately after Beatrix's retirement. His short temper was completely opposite what she had been used to, but Kairi had definitely been right about him. He was a good person deep down inside and was just trying to follow his own sense of justice most of the time. He also had his sensitive side. She didn't think she had ever seen someone cry with such remorse as when Seifer found his friends Fuu and Rai had survived the collapse. There was no doubt at all about his loyalty. Not anymore.

Namine gathered her bag, making sure to say farewell to Relm.

"You're excused. But you'd better show me that drawing the next time I see you."

Frighteningly demanding, that girl. "Yes, Miss Relm."

There was noticeable confusion spreading among the group of friends. She heard twittering whispers as they questioned each other where she was going. Riku's eyes in particular were already examining the situation closely, searching for clues.

"I take it this doesn't have anything to do with reconstruction work?"

"Well..." Namine paused a moment, considering if it was worth just coming clean herself or letting the truth slowly reveal itself on its own. Kairi clearly hadn't breathed a word, and the only other one Namine had specifically spoken to about it had been Seifer, who wasn't one for spreading gossip. If she kept quiet herself she was relatively confident it could stay a secret for some time. But was it really worth the trouble of hiding it?

She _could_ tell everyone about it now. But...the more she considered it, the more fun it was to have it be a little more mysterious. Magic was so much better that way, right?

And she trusted her cousin to keep her promise.

Namine pulled one solitary finger up to her lips and smiled. "It's a secret."

Clapping her hands together, Olette abruptly gasped. "You aren't...going on a date are you? With _Seifer_?"

"D-date?" Seifer shifted so suddenly in alarm at the accusation that he nearly tripped himself on the lip of the door. "Excuse me!? Unlike _some_ clown-headed buffoons who end up stumbling head-over-heels for the people they're meant to be protecting, _I_ am a professional."

He jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb and tossed a haughty side-eye over to the group.

Pence bobbed his head in mock sincerity. "Yep. Certainly sound like one to me."

Vaan snorted, causing Seifer to snarl back in response. "Hey, punks. Just because Sora is friends with you doesn't give you a pass. I'll take on anyone who wants to sass me."

Selphie finally relinquished her hold on Kairi, folding her arms across her chest impatiently. "Yeah, I really don't think the ever elegant Princess Namine, acting Vicereine of the Kingdom, able to land any guy she so desires would go for one like that, honestly. And if she's even considering it I think she should...not."

Kairi bit down on her lower lip, keeping her voice low. "He's a little sensitive so be nice."

Not seeming bothered at the thinly veiled insult from earlier, Sora stretched his arms up, resting them behind his head. "Well, whatever is going on, Namine, I'm sure Seifer's doing a good job keeping you safe."

"Of course I am, you dimwit. She's the current acting ruler of this place. If anyone so much as looks at her funny I'll knock them into next week."

"Good! That's all that matters, right?"

So carefree, that one, but unendingly sweet. It was obvious why Kairi had fallen for him right away. Namine offered him a grateful smile. She had expected him to be more curious about her secret magic lessons, but this suited her just fine. Sora was...not so good at keeping secrets.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I can't really stay here with the three of you, but please feel free to come up to the guest house any time."

Sora bobbed his head. "No problem. And if Seifer ever makes himself too much of a handful..."

"Oi, I heard that. You looking for a fight?" Seifer cracked his knuckles.

"I'm up for the usual if you are."

"Oh you'd better believe I'm going to trounce you this time!"

Namine adjusted the strap of her satchel over her shoulder and shared a knowing look and smile with her cousin. Those two were probably always going to be like this, weren't they?

Riku lifted himself up from off the wall he was leaning against and tapped both Sora and Kairi on the shoulder. "Speaking of the usual, we are a bit behind on our own schedule."

Kairi only just seemed to register the time and gasped. "Ah, right! Training! I'll go get changed and meet you two there?"

Selphie cheered her on. "Go kick their butts, girl! You don't mind if we come watch, do you?"

Sora shifted a bit, visibly anxious, and Pence prodded him in the stomach. "Uh-oh, someone doesn't look too happy."

"Can you blame him?" Hayner gave a low whistle and dropped himself down onto a nearby chair. "I wouldn't look forward to having to beat up my girlfriend on a daily basis either."

Kairi jabbed her hands onto her hips and tutted. "He isn't beating me up. He's been very sweet this whole time."

Sora gave her a nervous smile. "I'm trying to get more comfortable with it. I know it's important to you to get stronger. At least it's not so bad when you're the one attacking me."

Hayner snickered devilishly once again. "Oh, my mistake there, Kairi. Seems Sora actually likes it when you play rough with him."

"T-that's not what I meant!"

Despite the near constant teasing, Sora was still easily able to shrug off their comments with a laugh and a smile. Maybe he was just used to it.

Olette giggled into her hand and waved. "Pence and I will get dinner started for you guys when you get back. Play nice out there."

Laughter and banter were such wholesome signs of peaceful times. Namine almost wanted to stay and watch more, but knew if she was late to her own lessons she would be in for a severe scolding.

She said her goodbyes once more before stepping out. With Seifer hovering close, they made their way back to the castle. Even in the deep late afternoon the town was still bustling with people working on rebuilding and restoring the normalcy of everyday life. Despite all the weathering the town and its people had endured, endured it did. And while Kairi's initial announcement that Namine was taking control over the kingdom as acting Vicereine and that any official coronation was, until further notice, delayed, was met with initial confusion, Namine was shocked at the near instant turnaround of support and love she received from the people. She had expected nearly everyone to be skeptical of her ability to manage anything, let alone even know of her existence considering most of her life she had been hidden away in the castle unable to function.

Perhaps she owed a lot to her cousin's beautiful speech. Due to her desire for transparency, Kairi had explained in detail exactly what had happened during not only the collapse, but the reason behind the events of Darkfall so many years ago. Kairi had made it abundantly clear that the reason their world remained was because of love, hope and forgiveness. And it seemed the people embraced her words to the fullest.

They were to be a kingdom of kindness, a kingdom that relied on the strength of their hearts.

What started as the tiniest grateful sigh of relief grew steadily, day by day into a rousing call of pride. For a kingdom was its people, and its people still stood. They chose to hold each other close and march into the future together. A permeating sense of goodwill and relief drifted from home to home almost as if everyone had awoken from a terrible nightmare all at once, and could begin to live anew.

One day at a time.

One step at a time.

Together.

And so the days continued onward. Everyone did what they could to walk towards a brighter future. Even the most conservative and traditional figures could not deny the relief that seemed to come with finally sweeping out the cobwebs of deceit from the dark corners where they had been hidden for so long. Namine knew that as month after month passed, and the kingdom became more and more stable, her cousin's inevitable departure would only draw closer. But she wasn't afraid.

She was sure that when that time came everyone was going to stand tall and proud, cheering Kairi on as she held their hopes in her heart, marching out into dark night beyond. Kairi was going to save those lost in the land of shadows, should anyone still be out there. She was going to help the world finally reconnect all its lost pieces back together.

And someday, Kairi was going return.

Kairi would return and finally take her place as the great Queen that Namine always knew she would be someday.

No, there was not be a thing to be sad about on the day when Kairi finally stepped out into the world, with her two dear friends by her side.

That was going to be a beautiful day indeed.

* * *

 **A/N: Please stay tuned for the rest of the epilogue! It's already written and edited, I'm just going to space the upload out a bit to give people time to read this chapter first. I also wanted to apologize here for the excessively long wait to see the end of this story. The truth is, I actually had this whole long final chapter written and ready for editing but my computer crashed and took the whole thing with it. What timing, right? It was...discouraging, to say the least. I lost a lot of motivation to redo the whole thing and shelved the project thinking "it's just an epilogue after all, the story is basically done so whatever" but after almost a year I got a message or two that reminded me some people still cared about the story and were sad it was still technically unfinished. They had been waiting for the conclusion this whole time. To them, I sincerely apologize. At the time it felt too difficult to go back to something after all my hard work had been deleted but I should have put more effort into trying again.**

 **I can't say that this version is better than my first draft. After all, the original was done at the same time as the rest of the story, so I felt much more in tune with my characters and writing style at the time. But I tried to get my ideas down, at least. I hope I didn't forget anything. As a result, sorry if the conclusion is less elegant than it should have been.**

 **Again, the last half/epilogue will be posted once this chapter has been up for a few days and then this story will finally be tagged as "complete".**

 **-A. Moth**


	26. The End (part 2)

"Maybe you both should go train out in the field for a bit. I'll make sure the supplies are topped off." Riku said this so casually, but he was looking _right_ at him. It was one of those confusing cases where his friend was clearly trying to say something without saying it and Sora was left fumbling around trying to figure out exactly what that was. Nothing was coming to mind at all.

Sora eyed his friend suspiciously, trying to pick up on any other clues from his expression. "Okaay, but...is this really the best time? We still haven't finished packing..."

"Up to you." Riku shrugged and began occupying himself with the supply packs.

Oh. Maybe it was nothing, then.

"Lend me your hand a second."

"Sure." Sora grabbed the thick strap of the satchel offered to him and pulled it tight so Riku could secure the clasp. Before it had even clicked into place, Riku leaned in closer and lowered his voice.

"Even if you don't get much done, _I think it'll be worth it for someone else._ " He tilted his head over to the side, pointing without pointing back in the direction of the window.

Oh! Finally catching the hint, Sora looked over. Just like Riku was trying to warn him, Kairi was back at it again, endlessly pacing, fidgeting with that same little empty medicine pouch. While Sora had been able to distract her now and again, it seemed like every time he left her to her own devices she just slipped back into that same sleepwalking state. The whole morning she had been so dreamily occupied in her own head it was like she wasn't even there.

"...Kairi?" Sora tried calling out to her, but she only mumbled in response, eyes still focused straight forward.

He tried calling again. Nope.

"Hey Kairi, I was just telling Riku how _totally loud_ you snore!"

No reaction at all. It was obviously a problem when she didn't even notice something like that.

Right...maybe some fresh air really wouldn't be a bad idea.

Riku gave him a light shove. "Go on. I've got the rest of the chores covered."

While Sora felt a bit guilty leaving him to do the rest, he knew Riku wouldn't have offered if he couldn't handle it. Besides, Kairi clearly needed some serious intervention here or she was going to wear a hole in the floor. Or her shoes. And she needed those in good shape for tomorrow.

Sora flashed him an appreciative smile. "Got it, thanks."

He skipped his way over to Kairi and reached for her hand. "Hey, feeling okay?"

Kairi nearly jumped at his touch, but caught her breath quickly. "Y-yeah, sorry. How is it coming along with the-"

"Taken care of." Riku shouted back, pouring another one of his lists for any discrepancies, ticking things off here and there.

Kairi sighed, chucking the fabric she had clenched in her hands back onto the table behind her. "I don't know...m-maybe I should go check on Namine, or-"

Resting a hand on her shoulder to stop her, Sora shook his head. "She's helping everyone out with the party now, remember? And we were expressly forbidden to go back to the house until then, under threat of a spoon-whacking." He shivered. "And I do _not_ want to get on Penelo's bad side when she's wielding that big wooden spoon."

Kairi sagged under his grip. He knew that face. It was clear she was just anxious and wanted more than anything to make herself useful.

Time to make some suggestions!

"Wanna go on a walk or train a bit? Riku's right, it's a good chance to squeeze in a little extra practice to make sure your basics are sturdy before we set out."

She chewed on her lower lip, clearly not quite convinced.

Time to deploy his best puppy face.

He reached up to gently stroke the side of her cheek with his thumb. "...Please? I think it would do us both some good. It'd be a shame to miss out on such nice weather, too."

His pleading seemed to reach through the fog and she ever so softly smiled up at him. "Well...okay. A little couldn't hurt, I suppose..."

Sora was sure if he could grab her attention even just the slightest amount she would start feeling a whole lot better. It was a reluctant yes, but still a yes nonetheless so he was going to try to make the most of it.

While she was still fidgeting and not very chatty on the walk to the training grounds, the minute she picked up the wooden sword her entire demeanor changed.

She really took this stuff seriously. All these months and she hadn't missed a single session despite being so busy.

Sparing with Kairi had at first been incredibly difficult for him to get used to, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Sora wouldn't go so far to say that sword fighting was his _hobby_ , exactly, but it was something he had to work on daily. Being able to share that time with her was nice. She was certainly a lot more pleasant to fight than Riku, that was for sure. And the feistier side of Kairi he had gotten to know was a real treat. One slice of that slightly tart attitude pie and he was already wanting seconds.

He had also been a little worried all the training would somehow change her. But other than making her stronger and a bit more confident, she was still her same endlessly kind, sweet self. Any time she missed her target and accidentally whacked him with her sword she would panic and rush over for emergency doting apology cuddles.

Arguably the best kind.

Plus her healing magic was super tingly and warm. It was worth getting hit just for that alone.

Training with her ended up having not too many downsides at all, all things considered.

He cleared his throat and gave her a sweeping bow. "Your sentient training dummy is here, at your service."

Only a few seconds and his attempted formal face cracked into laughter.

"Oh, stop it." Urging him to come up out of his jokingly grandiose stance, Kairi ruffled her fingers through his crazy mess of hair.

He loved it when she did that. A lot. There was nothing, absolutely nothing more relaxing than resting his head on her lap in the garden with her fingers massaging their way around there. _Easily_ the best way to sit and cloud watch the afternoon away.

Almost just as soon as she started, her fingers withdrew and he sighed, grateful to at least relish the feeling while it lasted. But more importantly, it finally felt like she was _here_ now, instead of buried in whatever foggy thoughts she couldn't shake off all day.

Straightening back up, he rolled his shoulder a few times, trying to stretch out his sword arm. "Alright! Our official last session. What did you wanna work on?"

She tilted the wooden sword around in her hands, considering her options. "To be honest...I've got a lot of nervous energy right now, and it's a bit hard to sit still..."

"Yeah? I couldn't tell." He flicked his wrist in a few circles to warm it up before giving her a playful smirk.

"Oh, very funny." Chiding his sarcasm, Kairi gave the side of his arm the lightest little smack with her free hand. "I'm sorry about this morning, I've just been really anxious..."

"Don't apologize for that, it's a big day tomorrow."

"Hmm..." Kairi leaned forward, examining his face closely before prodding him in the stomach.

It tickled a little and he smiled. "Something on my face?"

"You don't look the least bit concerned at all. I don't know how you do it."

He thought about it for a minute. "Well...I know I'm in good hands with you keeping an eye on me. And I can be a bit simple-minded sometimes too, so there's a lot I'm sure you thought of that probably didn't even register up here. That just shows how considerate you are."

Kairi shied away from the compliment. "You're not _that_ simple. Simply positive, maybe."

Sora tapped the wooden sword in her hand. "Well, one thing you could try is taking all those nervous thoughts you've got and stuffing them all in here. Use them to power yourself up!"

"Like...this?" He could almost see the nervous tension sparking around her whole body channeling right into her sword as she lifted it up for a few test swings. Each strike had a certain oomph that was far different than normal.

"Yep! Exactly like that." Sora grinned, glad to see her finally able to focus on something other than picking at that same ratty old medicine bag from earlier.

Motivation flashed across her face and she bobbed her head with renewed determination. "Alright, I'm ready. I've decided what I want to work on."

"Yeah? What's that?"

She smiled, gripping her wooden blade even tighter. "Offense."

Oops, probably should have seen that one coming. It was like a burning fire had sparked to life inside of her and nothing could stand in her way now.

"You'd better get ready, I think I'm in a clobbering mood today." Kairi giggled at her own ridiculous statement. "...but with guaranteed love in every hit, of course."

Sora couldn't hide his smile. There was always something undeniably attractive about her when she was playful like this. Just one look into those eyes never failed to make him feel all pleasantly jumbled up inside.

"Okay. Same rules as usual." He plucked his own wooden sword up from from the grass and twisted it around in the air, testing its weight. She always put in the maximum effort. It would be truly unfair to not give her the same courtesy. "If you get a hit on me, you win. Fair?"

She hummed in agreement, sinking her boot into the soft dirt to ready herself. "As much as I love you, today is the day I'm finally taking you down!"

So far, her total number of victories in this type of match was complete zero. He would have intervened to change that himself, but the first time she noticed him trying to purposefully throw a fight she gave him such an earful that he never wanted to relive the experience.

She wanted to win, she wanted to earn it, and he was looking forward to the day she would. "I won't hold back today, so do your worst."

Kairi's first attack was a quick thrust, closing ground as fast as possible between them. She was clearly forcing him to be as defensive as possible, seeking to take advantage of any opening. Made sense that she was trying the techniques Riku taught her.

But he wasn't going to just sit back and let her wear herself down. No way.

The wooden play blades clacked as he shoved them together. She gasped at the sudden vibration, trying to steady herself. Planting her boot back into the sand she pushed off, throwing her weight forward with a slight twist, enough to force him to the side.

"Hey, nice one. Just keep your wrist up."

She flashed him a quick smile, nodded, and refocused quickly. Her fiery determination was in full display as she tried to break his defense in any way she could. Breath quickening from exertion, she continued her offensive push strategy. It was a bold choice, but he could tell she didn't quite have the stamina yet. While he let her get a few attempts in to practice, he would alternatively weave in a counter to force her to think fast.

The practice duel continued on.

Despite showing signs of fatigue, she deflected his next strike to the side. Flushed, breath ragged, she nonetheless giggled, celebrating her small success.

Sora's heart skipped.

In that brief moment, Kairi was _achingly_ beautiful.

"G-good."

He gulped, trying as hard as he could not to focus on the way the beginning appearance of sweat on her chest was causing her shirt to cling ever so slightly to her skin.

She took his distraction as her signal. Kairi tried to lightly jab him in the side but he shifted, avoiding her without even making any contact with his own sword.

She huffed, visibly disappointed, but just as quickly readjusted her grip, tucked a loose piece of hair back behind her ear and readied herself again. Kairi was concentrating, hard, while Sora was ironically now finding it hard to concentrate.

Even though it was directed towards him in an earnest attempt to unpleasantly smack him with a wooden stick, he couldn't help but feel shivers up along his back at the sight of the overflowing spark of life and determination in her eyes. The very soul and conviction that had attracted him to her in the first place was dancing around at arms-length, charming him with its beauty. She flicked her hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way and lunged towards him again.

He blocked it.

Kairi twirled, and he caught the faintest scent of her floral perfume.

Her eyes locked with his.

She smiled at him. _For_ him.

So distracted in her ocean-hued gaze, he was almost late to defend. Kairi once more exhaled sharply, disappointed at her victory so narrowly snatched away. But she pressed on, forcing their wooden swords together again.

Ugh, it was almost torture having her that close, that alluring.

...Just one quick kiss wouldn't be too much to ask, right?

He inwardly kicked himself a few times.

No, now is not the time! If he couldn't snap himself out of it he was going to be doing her a _huge_ disservice, disrespecting her effort. And she was putting a lot in right now.

He swallowed down the burning sensation eating at him and pushed his own offensive a bit more, but each time their wooden swords touched, he could hear her slightly exerted gasps and his thoughts ended up racing right back to where they started.

This wasn't usually a problem. Why was his mind betraying him today?

Was it her dress? He did _really_ like that dress. Normally she changed into something more practical when training but today...

Kairi twirled to land her next hit and he gulped as he blocked, trying incredibly hard not to stare at the swirling flow of her skirt.

No...while it certainly didn't help matters, the sundress wasn't the cause. It had to be that pure, unbridled spirit. Every time he so much as glanced into her eyes he felt dizzy, a deep twinge pulsing with fire in his core. While she always seemed to try her best, today there was something far more... _passionate_ motivating her. Maybe because it was the last day? Whatever it was, it was really getting to him.

She wasn't letting up at all. Her footwork was delicate, precise, and steadfast. Kairi's perseverance was radiating out and he was completely, helplessly enticed by it.

He wanted to throw away the swords keeping them separated, yank her right over and—stop, stop, _stop,_ bad thoughts _._

Kairi smiled, eyes sparkling, panting slightly. "Are you...okay?...You look a little... _distracted_."

Well, she was clearly on to him. "I-it's, uh...n-nothing."

"Mm-hmm..." Taking another step, she shrank the gap between the two of them while their wooden swords were still locked together, her breath slowly catching back up to her. "As if I don't know...I can read you like a book, mister."

Their swords still crossed, she twisted her body to the side and lowered her hand. Sora's own sword was dragged to the side with it. Not wanting to strong-arm her, he let it happen. After all, since she still wasn't in a position to attack despite moving their weapons away, what was the harm?

Kairi tilted her head to the side, batting her eyelids. Was she trying to do it as dreamily as possible? It certainly seemed like it.

Even if she was, he still felt ashamed and glanced away. "I'm really sorry...you're working so hard and I'm not giving you my full attention. It's disrespectful."

"Oh? On the contrary, Sora..." She softly, delicately licked her lips clean of sweat.

B-bad thoughts... _really_ bad thoughts.

Just like that, she immediately recaptured his attention. And now that she had it, she was not letting him break eye contact at all.

She oh so gently bit her lower lip at the corner for a moment. "It seems from the look of it you are working _very hard_ yourself. In fact...you are concentrating on me _so well_ , I'd assume you must be at full attention right now, or...close enough."

There was a provocative note to her voice that he couldn't ignore. At all. This was going to be...problematic.

Kairi hummed, gazing up at him. "Am I wrong?"

Sora glanced quickly down, just to check. He heard her giggle again, extra flirtatiously. It was obvious he didn't have to answer.

Had it gotten hotter outside? It felt really warm now.

"I...y-you're..." Words were failing him.

Then she winked.

He wasn't sure what game she was playing at, but her allure was impossibly magnetic. Before he could properly react, she lifted herself up onto her toes and sank her lips right into his.

"Mmmnnf-" Sora couldn't stop his unbelievably satisfied groan due to the sheer, sudden relief of tension. His eyes reflexively closed, enjoying the simple, toe curling delight in it all.

Wonderful, warm bliss.

Even despite the faint taste of perspiration, her sweetness couldn't be completely masked. His mind blanked. Nothing else really mattered right now. All he could taste was Kairi, all he could hear were her soft loving gasps. He was under her spell but he honestly didn't care one bit.

She could have him. All of him.

Her breath brushed warm against his face as she temporarily pulled away.

 _More...please…_

He tried leaning forward to chase her but a sudden light rapping on the top of his head broke his stupor. Eyes flickering open once more, it took him a full few seconds to even gather his wits enough to register what was going on.

Kairi bonked him lightly on the head again with her wooden play sword, her face triumphant. "I win."

Wait, but...huh? She was…

Oh.

He had stumbled right into her trap. He opened his mouth to protest but realized quite quickly that there was nothing he could say. Defeated, he slumped his shoulders and pouted for a moment before giving her a playful prod on the tip of her nose with his finger.

"I don't think that was very fair."

"It most definitely wasn't." Her grin was as smug as could be. "But you both told me to do anything I needed to if it meant keeping myself safe. Or in this case, beating you. I decided today was the day to finally break out my secret technique."

Her gloating didn't bother him too much, he was far more worried about the implications of what she was saying. Leaning forward, he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Is that a strategy? Does this mean you are planning on charming _other_ people like that?"

"Of course not, silly." She lovingly brushed her hand through his hair once more, sweeping away any qualms or worries he might have in one motion alone. "That move is reserved especially for you. Sora's ultimate weakness exploit attack: the love bomb."

"Y-yeah?" Sora couldn't help but grin and rub a bit under his nose in an attempt to downplay the pure childish pleasure at the notion of receiving preferential treatment from her.

She gave him one more matter of fact bob of her head. "Mm-hmm. I'm just following what Riku told me: know your enemy."

Her games only made him want to tease her back even more. "So I'm your _enemy_ now, huh?"

"Only for a little while."

"Uh-huh...well you'd better watch out then because if kissing is a fair play I'm _absolutely_ giving it my all on round two. Get your defense ready. Just try and stop me if you can!" He lifted up his wooden sword and waited.

She tipped her head to the side, pondering this for a moment, not making a single motion to raise her sword back up into a fighting position.

Then, she unexpectedly broke out into a fit of giggles.

"...What?"

"Sora, I think it works a lot better if what you're threatening me with is something that I actually... _wouldn't_ want? Punishments are meant to be bad."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so."

Well, that took the wind out of his sails a little.

Still trying to suppress her laughter, she gave him a gentle stroke along the side of his face with the back of her hand.

While any other time he would have been ecstatic at the notion that she had basically spelled out that she wanted to kiss him, he had been _trying_ to tease her. There had to be something that she didn't particularly like that he could dangle over her head as a-

A thought, a particularly devious thought, struck him all at once.

Kairi withdrew her hand from his face nervously. "Wait...what's with that smile?"

It had happened that one time as a complete accident. Snuggling together during a free afternoon Kairi had admitted to him, through deep blushes, that she had liked feeling his breath on the side of her neck. As a joke, he had decided to blow right into her ear and ask her if that was what she meant. She _hated_ it; said it gave her all sorts of bad shivers. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable he had kept it in mind to not do again.

And in that case it was perfect for right now.

"I think I figured out what to do."

He focused his gaze directly towards her ear and blew a useless puff of air in her direction, making it very clear exactly what he was implying.

Kairi flushed and raised her sword with one hand, clamping her other hand down hard over her ear. "N-no. No, no no no. Don't you even _think_ about—you'd better not!"

"...and like I said before, _you'd_ better get your defense ready."

Kairi put up an amazing struggle, but eventually, with both of her arms pinned up over her head and with Sora pressing her against a literal rock wall, she didn't really have anywhere to turn. He had already long managed to knock her sword away, and her attempts to run hadn't gotten her very far.

"Got you. I win this time."

Kairi giggled and tried to free her wrists, but he wasn't letting her. "I don't suppose if I give you a cute look again that you'll let me go?"

She certainly tried, giving him the sweetest pleading look he'd ever seen her attempt. An expression like that did make him feel a bit weak at the knees but he held strong. "Nope, I'm not falling for that again so easily."

She sighed in absolute defeat, but abruptly sucked her own breath back in surprise as he leaned in closer, removing any possible wiggle room between them. He whispered in her ear, soft and teasing.

"I hope you're ready to get tickled _s_ _uper_ hard. But before that-"

She grimaced, and he knew Kairi was expecting to get that promised puff of air right in her ear where he was hovering. But he wasn't that cruel.

And there was something he wanted more.

He offered, instead, a sudden and intense kiss; teasing, pulling her breath once more out from her lips. Taken completely off guard by the sudden show of passion she uttered a stuttering gasp right into his mouth that he was pretty sure was half his name, half gibberish. All the tension in her arms melted as she relaxed completely into his control. Sora smiled, reading it as a somewhat embarrassing compliment and invitation to deepen his attention on her.

She was so, irresistibly soft.

He took his time with this kiss, making sure to satisfy that begging urge that had been pestering him since their duel had started. And from the sound of it, she wasn't having too bad a time herself. Like she said, maybe it technically didn't count as a punishment if she was enjoying it, but hearing her muffled, breathless sighs was far more worth it than following the rules.

When he finally withdrew, he saw that not only had the pink tint to her face intensified significantly, she was panting just as much if not more as during their sparring match.

Sora released her wrists and stepped back, not wanting to keep her imprisoned for too long. Even though he hadn't been holding tightly at all, he was sure having her arms pinned above her head wasn't the most comfortable position to be in for too long.

"Sorry about that. Really needed to get it out of my system."

"Sora..." She didn't complain in the slightest, only tilted another pleading expression up at him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you stop?"

Oh…

He started feeling hot all over again. Well...he knew she needed a distraction, and if this was what she was asking for there was no way he was going to say no.

He returned to his affections, twirling locks of her hair eagerly around the fingers of one hand while the other massaged her upper arm. Warm. Sweet. Perfect.

In a mock lament, she tipped her head up to the sky, briefly breaking his kiss. "Oh woe is me, I've lost again. However is he going to punish me this time?"

With her new head position, she had opened her neck up and he took full advantage of it. He dove straight for it, simultaneously giving her a few teasing tickles along the side of her stomach. Her giggles collapsed into a contented moan or two.

Everything, all the fighting, all that hardship-it was totally worth it, just for this.

Kairi's pulse was racing now, he could feel it fluttering under his lips. She shivered and raked her fingers through his hair and across his back, giving an approving murmur to his actions under her breath.

"You're making it incredibly hard...to want to win...if this is what I get when I lose."

Sora nuzzled his nose against the warm crook of her neck as he grinned. "I'd say sorry, but...I'm not. I love doing this way too much."

"Then don't...stop..." Her soft gasps kept urging him on, but he pulled away. The irritation in her groan at being denied again was fairly clear.

He gave her an affectionately soft bonk with his forehead against hers. "You really should be more proud of yourself though."

"Hmm?"

"I'm insanely impressed at your progress. Really. Why do you think you managed to distract me so well today?"

She bit her lip, trying to entice him to come closer to her again and finish what he started. "Because you love me? And I was purposefully making it hard for you?"

He remained exactly where he was, keeping their foreheads pressed together so he could look her right in the eyes. " _That_ , and I was struck at how amazing you were. You're really something when you're motivated. I mean it."

Her gaze darted downwards in sudden embarrassment. "You're being far too sweet. I know if you tried fighting me with a smidgen of your real strength I wouldn't even stand a chance. I'm barely competent as it is. It's...frustrating."

"Hey, just because we are leaving tomorrow doesn't mean you have to be perfect by then. It's a journey. And both me and Riku are gonna be right there with you. We'll all help each other out. You'll get better."

Kairi put her arms behind her back and bounced herself playfully against the stone wall, keeping her eyes focused intensely on his. "Does...this mean my punishment is over already?"

Sora wasn't quite sure if she seemed happy or disappointed at the thought. "I dunno, I mean you _technically_ did win earlier, you cheater. Didn't you want anything special for your first victory?"

Dipping her head down shyly, she lowered her voice again. "...Ten minutes?"

"Huh?"

"You were right about what you said before. No matter how far we have to wander into that unknown...I know if I have you with me I don't have to be afraid of anything. So...just to make sure to erase all my fears...I'd like at least ten more minutes here with you. Just being happy with you. It will help me focus on the parts of our adventure I'm excited about. Is...that okay?"

"Absolutely."

Grinning, he lead her by the hand away from the stone wall towards a much softer, more private place in the meadow.

Sora tumbled down onto the soft grass hiding among the wildflower patches, dragging her, giggling, after him. She fell back against the green. Her hair, her dress and her arms draped across it like she was floating on the surface of an emerald ocean all her own. Maybe a swim in the lake together later wouldn't be a bad idea, now that he thought of it.

Kairi gazed up at him, eagerly waiting for his next move, her whole body trembling under the lightest brush of his fingertips. While a little bit more teasing would be fun, he simply didn't have the patience to wait any more. Not with her looking at him like that.

She was so, so beautiful.

He sank into her ocean without another word, his fingers entwined with hers.

A light breeze swayed the floral waves around them. The grass rustled softly, almost making a duet with Kairi's gentle sighs.

Kairi. _His_ Kairi.

The sound, the sight, the thought of anything else drifted away, unimportant. Unrestrained, he finally gave her the full attention she had been begging for.

...

"...Hey, Kairi?"

"Mmm?"

"I...kinda hate to say it, but I think it's probably been ten minutes by now. Did you want to get back or-"

"Are you _sure_? I believe it's only been five...but I suppose if you wanted to go back I can't keep you here..." Kairi hummed and swirled her finger in small teasing circles on his skin.

She made a very convincing wordless argument.

"Nope! I think you're right about the time. My mistake. In fact...I can't be sure it's even been one minute yet."

Kairi tipped her head to the side, observing the nearby wildflowers bobbing in the wind. "Even better."

Despite the shadows lengthening on the grass, it really felt like all the rest of the world around them had frozen to a stop. All he wanted to do was stay in that space just a little longer, holding her so close he could feel her heart beating against him.

To make sure that she could finally feel loved.

 _Just a taste: so simple, sweet-_

 _As it makes my heart complete,_

 _Linger, ever, here with me, my_

 _sugar searching bumblebee._

 _Your showering love, it drenches,_

 _My breathless need, it quenches._

 _I bloom for you, my love conveyed._

 _You will make my moments made_

 _This one flower yearns for you_

 _Please bumblebee, yearn for me too._

* * *

It was hard not to at least feel a smidgen of the joy absolutely radiating off of the toothily grinning idiot flopped back on the floor. Holding in his own laughter, Riku nudged him a bit in the side with his boot, glancing back over his shoulder to briefly check that Kairi had definitely already left.

"So...you both fell in the lake, huh? That's what we're going with?"

"Yep!"

"Even though the training ground is nowhere near the water, your clothes aren't even damp and you were somehow out there "sparring" for hours?"

"...yep!"

While it was obvious they had gone for a swim, the circumstances around it were...suspect. Better to drop the whole thing.

"Whatever. I don't think I actually want to know the real details. At least she finally looks happy again."

Sora simply beamed, looking far too pleased with his situation. Riku did his obvious duty and plopped a towel with a thump down right on his friend's face.

"Dry off already. I'm sure Namine isn't going to be pleased with you leaking puddles all over her guest room floor."

Sitting up, Sora immediately started rubbing at his mess of hair. "Heh, probably not."

Sora had been radiating sunshine the minute he and Kairi had stumbled in the back door from the garden, hair soaked, giggling up a storm together. And while it was slightly uncomfortable for Riku to picture any finer details, the two of them being happy, at least, was worth it.

"Either way, nicely done in getting her to relax a little."

Sora freed himself from the towel after an aggressive final rubdown and shook his head to let his hair haphazardly style itself. "Just doing my best. If she's smiling then everything feels okay."

Riku dropped himself down onto the floor so he could sit shoulder to shoulder next to his friend. He didn't say so out loud, but he felt the same way about that little goofball. So long as that smile of his was steady, Riku didn't really have any regrets.

But...just for good measure...

Riku bonked him lightly on the head with his fist, laughing. "Never stop being you."

Sora accepted the strike without complaint, instead opting to fling his semi damp towel over at Riku's face.

"Yeah? Well, thanks for always sticking with me. Who knows what kind of stuff we'll have to deal with starting tomorrow, but I'm glad you're gonna be there."

Riku smacked the towel back over to him and stood up, offering a hand. "Sure, but first we need to survive this farewell party. It's likely to go on all night."

Using the offered hand to his advantage, Sora jumped up to his feet eagerly. "Yeah, I'm not too fond of goodbyes either but we'll be back someday."

"About that..."

Riku tilted his gaze up along the wall opposite them. They were in the old reception room for the guest wing which was not only stuffed with excessive amounts of dusty law books, but was adorned with the most daunting collection of portraits of former rulers crookedly gazing down from pompously long walls meant to evoke a certain...grandeur. Riku was hoping this place would get a makeover eventually when reparations had wrapped up all the more important tasks. The entire design evoked far too much of the old reign and its old customs.

"Did you ever give much thought to what you would have done if Kairi _hadn't_ let her cousin take over temporarily and delay her coronation?"

Sora tipped his head to the side, considering. "Uh, well then she would be Queen now instead."

"And?"

Confused, Sora furrowed his brow as he tried to comprehend the implications. "And...we...wouldn't be leaving? But Kairi would be a bit miserable wondering 'what if', I think."

"All true, but not what I was getting at."

Sora poked him in the stomach. "Just say it then, you know I don't stand a chance at your guessing games."

"Consider it this way: you and Kairi are happy together, yes?"

His friend bobbed his head eagerly, his smile bright as he no doubt was letting his thoughts drift back to the garden he had just come from. Riku gave the side of his head a flick.

"Focus. Potential hypothetical here, but if Kairi ends up taking her place on the throne, and decides to pick you as her dearly beloved husband, love of her life: what, exactly would that make _you_?"

"Happy?"

" _T_ _itle wise_."

"Uh...well, if Kairi is a Queen and we were married then I'd...be..." The color in Sora's face paled slightly. "Oh."

"I can't believe you never even considered it before."

"Yeah, well it's not like I was ever interested in that stuff!" Sora swallowed. "It suddenly feels like...pressure. I wonder if this is the sort of feeling Kairi has to face every day."

"I know you tend not to think of her as one, but that's the cost of dating a princess like her. You have to be ready for a potentially massive responsibility."

"No kidding..." Sora scrunched the towel around in his hands, likely thousands of thoughts racing through his mind.

"Now, the reason why I bought this up wasn't to freak you out, it's so that you'd have the awareness and a chance to improve yourself where you need to. Kairi postponed her own coronation, for who knows how long, so this journey is a good opportunity. While we travel around, spend time reflecting and really thinking about what it would mean for you to actually be a leader for this place."

His friend crossed his arms, baffled. "Huh? You just told me to be myself and now you're telling me I should change?"

"That's not quite it. Being a king doesn't mean you to be like _them_." Riku thumbed at one of the more dour faces glaring down at them from his picture frame. "I still want you to be yourself. In fact, I think this place would be better off for it."

"But wouldn't Kairi be the one in-"

"Don't pass everything off on her. You have to stand on your own two feet as well or you'll just be a burden."

"Ouch. Blunt, but I get it." Sora paused for a while, staring intently out the window back towards the garden he had just come from. The sun was starting to set, sending a full array of color sweeping through the clouds. So many different hues all mixing and playing off one another to paint the sky.

"I don't know if someone like me is really the best choice for that sort of thing, but I do know I never want Kairi to have to face anything alone again. So...even though I don't understand that sort of responsibility yet, I'll do my best to try. For her."

It was exactly the sort of answer Riku had both expected, and was hoping for. "You'll get there."

Sora twisted back to his friend, looking a bit incredulous as if he was being teased. "What makes you so sure?"

"I can't exactly define what it is that makes a good king. After all, that's subjective. But you've got something inside you..." He prodded his friends chest. " _Deep_ inside you, that, given a little more maturity and life experience will shine out in droves."

"Y-yeah?" Sora brightened up, smiling contently back out the window.

It was nice, still having quiet moments alone together every now and again. Riku relaxed up against the wall and enjoyed the nostalgic sense of it. When they were younger, even a bit as he got older, Sora had a tendency to play hard and sleep hard. Riku would often find him curling up in random nooks and cupboards for naps. Whenever that happened, Riku enjoyed pulling out a book and sitting nearby just to keep an eye on him. There was something kind of soothing about it.

While his friend wasn't snoring the day away now, it was similarly comforting.

Sora started pacing, eyed the decorations of the old kingdom on the wall for a while, slowly circling the room before coming to an abrupt stop in front of an old suit of armor. "...Hey, Riku? When we come back...what are you gonna do?"

He shrugged. "I can't see much changing, really. I've always done whatever I could to keep you out of trouble. If you two end up ruling over this place I'll still do the same thing, just in a more...official sense. That is, so long as you would even want someone like me to protect you."

A slight worried expression crossed Sora's face and he rushed right back over. "Why would you say something like that? Of course I would. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have watching my back."

Riku didn't want to say it. Despite Sora's constant clemency, there was still that twinge of guilt that never really went away. If he closed his eyes he could still smell the blood, feel the heavy weight of that thorny sword in his hand, that look on Sora's face—full of pain and confused betrayal. Never, ever again. If Kairi hadn't been there, by his own manipulated hand, he would have...

"I...still have my own weaknesses to conquer."

His friend's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "So?"

Riku turned to the side, not wanting Sora to see his face. There also wasn't much more he wanted to say. So long as he had those inner demons they could be exploited, and if then...would Sora ever be truly safe with him around?

Sora squished his face to the side, still examining him closely. "Riku, I think I know what this is about. I get that what happened still kinda eats at you a little, but I've said it before and I'll say it again now: we are a _team_. Sure, maybe there are things both of us could get better at, but we can rely on each other to do what the other can't. I'm not gonna let that stuff get a hold of you again, I promise."

There really was no arguing this point with him, was there? He sighed. "If I'm going to have the responsibility of keeping you safe then I'm going to need to be a hell of a lot better than I am now."

Rather than seem discouraged, Sora smiled in that silly yet convincing way of his. "Then let's both try to use this adventure to get stronger, together. I'll get stronger so you don't have to feel like you gotta make up so much ground to help me. And as for you, well..."

Riku expected Sora to just laugh the conversation off with some sort of light quip, but his friend's face suddenly took on a far more serious tone. "I hope on the way you can learn to forgive yourself a little. You are your own worst enemy sometimes."

Stunned, he choked a little on his words. Why did he always seem to forget how shockingly proficient Sora was at reading him sometimes? Guessing games were a no go, but when it came to emotional matters, he was always pretty spot on.

There was no hiding from that earnest gaze of his, either. "Sora...thanks. I don't say this enough, but I'm...not really sure what I'd do without you. People always seem to think I'm the one keeping you steady on the right path, but you balance me out just as much."

It took Sora several long seconds of silence for the compliment to really hit him, but when it did, his massive smile was contagious. "Heh, who's being the sap now, _huh_?"

Riku glanced out the window, gauging the time. "No idea, but you're going to be the one in trouble if you don't start getting ready." Riku tried to direct his friend's attention towards the door. "I think Kairi might be more than a bit disappointed when she finishes getting all dolled up for this party and all you did was swish your hair around a towel. Badly."

"...Good point." With a renewed bounce in his step, Sora started marching out towards the hall.

Riku moved to leave, but lingered slightly longer in the doorway. No matter how clueless Sora seemed at times, his potential was genuine. Whether or not Sora would ever have to lead anything remained to be seen, but he had such an uncanny ability to reach through to people. Despite his rash, impulsive tendencies, time and time again he was able to bring all sorts together, connected with bonds as strong as a family. It was a rare gift. And Riku was all the more determined now to get stronger to make sure that precious light kept burning. Both Sora and Kairi really had a great dynamic that could help a lot of people.

Light like that was something this kingdom had been sorely lacking for far too long...and not just because Kairi had a strange tendency to break candlesticks.

As with every transition in life, there was always some uncertainty. But believing and relying on the few things held true was always the best way to stay grounded.

Or so Sora had taught him to. It was good advice, and he was going to follow it.

Riku turned to follow his friend, stepping out of the dusty reception room, away from the disappointed gaze of those of times past.

...And he wordlessly shut the door.

* * *

...SOME TIME LATER

Her footsteps crunched along the gravel path as she chased the tendrils of dying light slipping down past the horizon. Panting, she clutched her satchel close, the clanging of the hastily fastened broken lantern in sync with her ragged breathing. Each step her lungs felt more and more pained, the slippery gravel under her boots a punishment. But she pressed forward, refusing to let the last few rays of sun obscure themselves behind the distant trees of the forest before she could reach the front gate.

She could already hear the howling of the Darklings, and in the twilight they sounded unnaturally hungry. It echoed around the trees: a yowl, like a cat being twisted out of shape. Refusing to give in to fear, she plunged headfirst towards the direction of the sound, knowing if she could only reach the gate lanterns in time…

The commotion in the forest was far too rowdy, and far too early. She trembled at the implication: it meant they had found food.

Skuld uttered a quiet prayer for whatever lost soul was facing those demons, knowing there was nothing she could do for them now. It was the one eternal truth. They were beings born of darkness, ever watching, lingering in the shadows as they sought out the flesh of any that walked in the light. They were unbeatable, even the sharpest sword could not cut through their inky skin that reformed itself like water. The best defense was to run and pray you could find the safety of the Lux Lanterns. So it had always been.

Every night, the twilight brought with it yet another wave of despair that the darkness was closing in. If only the Lantern by the apothecary hadn't broken, then she wouldn't be so late now. She inwardly chided herself for being so foolish. As a Captain of the Guardian Force she should have known better, and was fully ready to accept the blame should the gates be even temporarily breached.

While she ran, she fumbled inside her bag for her lighting rod. The cries of the Darklings from the forest grew louder and more unsettled by the second. A shriek followed the sound of her footsteps. The gate was within sight now. The lantern was so close. Grasping her wishing stone tightly, Skuld began striking it against the end of the rod to set it aflame.

Charging, she leaped through the air towards the wick. The moment the flame caught, it burst with a bright golden glow just before fading back into its normal steady flickering.

There was a sudden, eerie silence now. Every single cry that had only moments earlier been so rambunctious had faded.

Skuld waited. Nothing.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, then laughed triumphantly towards the edge of the forest, into the murky twilight.

"Did you really think you could best us, beasts!? We're-"

As if in response to her taunts, the bushes at the edge of the wooded path began to rustle. At the ready, Skuld stepped backwards and hurriedly stuffed her wishing stone and lighting rod back into her satchel. She scanned the area around the gate, her fingers steady, waiting to withdraw her blade should she need it to delay their advance.

"Show yourself, Darklings! The light from the lantern is burning bright. Just try to take one step towards this gate and you'll-"

"I'm very sorry for startling you, but we don't mean any harm."

Two strangers waded their way through to the dirt path. Their faces were still partially cloaked by the elongated evening shadows. The one who had spoken was clearly female, and she not only sounded gentle but had an unmistakably... _bright_ aura about her. Skuld immediately lowered her guard. No one like that could possibly be a Darkling.

But...travelers? At this hour?

As they drew closer, Skuld could identify the young woman much more clearly. She had strikingly beautiful and delicate features, not to mention the cutest dress on, almost like a porcelain doll. Upon noticing the weapon at her side, however, Skuld decided that despite initial appearances, maybe there was some kick to this girl after all.

Her companion was just like one of those tall, muscular brooding types that Skuld saw every so often down at the pub staring wistfully into their mugs, cloaks drawn up in an attempt to look as mysterious as possible. It served an attractive picture, but one quick chat and every single one of them always ended up just as shallow as a water basin. Granted, this one had the most...striking green eyes and silvery hair she had ever seen, but Skuld wasn't going to fall for it. Rarely did men like that ever live up to their looks.

Skuld finally sheathed her sword, confident these two weren't out to harm her. "You're both lucky to have made it to town just in time. I could hear the Darklings stirring in the forest."

"Darklings? You mean the shadow monsters?" The girl tipped her head to the side, curious.

These two must have come from a very far village if they had never heard the term before. "Yes...it's what we call them in our village. I'm glad you made it safely, anyway."

The girl's mysterious male companion or guardian hovering near her shrugged. "I appreciate your concern. But those 'Darklings' shouldn't be bothering you for a while at least. You can rest easy for now."

He sounded far too reassuring for such a bold statement.

Skuld narrowed her eyes. "Oh?"

She'd come across her fair share of over confident braggarts, and it was always the same story. _'Don't worry fair maiden, I'll protect you from the darkness with my ridiculous muscles'_ or something equally as cringe inducing. Skuld almost started to feel bad for his girlfriend if she actually got duped by that sort of nonsense and was hoping to use him as a bodyguard. At least listening to those types try to regale their tale of the ultimate battle against the forces of evil was always a great source of entertainment.

"I see. Is that because you bravely beat them all up?"

"...in a manner of speaking."

Skuld nearly laughed out loud in shock at the utter boldness of such a claim. Not even someone with as impressively firm looking arms like his could possibly make a dent in those creatures. Granted, he did have a very sharp looking sword, and had a particular...poise to him that felt just a tad bit intimidating, but she wasn't getting fooled that easily.

So he knew how to hold himself and pose with a weapon, big deal.

"I should let you know, I am one of the Captains of the Guardian Force. I have _quite_ a bit of experience myself in warding off the Darklings." She crossed her arms and waited with a confident smile.

Usually a statement like that would force them into a corner. Most would shrink away with their tails between their legs, knowing they had been caught. To her utter chagrin, the mysterious stranger only nodded back to her, his face just as calm and collected as when he first arrived.

Skuld's bravado crumpled. "Um...that doesn't...bother you at all?"

He shrugged again, looking genuinely baffled. "No, I don't see why it would. Thanks for your hard work."

Wow, the nerve of this one was something else. For someone that tall, muscular and handsome, he was so _irritating_. It was not only a shame, it really got under her skin for some reason. What a waste of a cute face.

"Oh come on, drop the charade. I don't care how strong you look. As if you actually could-" Skuld saw a slight smirk barely forming at the corner of his mouth and she was fuming. "That wasn't a compliment!"

Rushing forward, his female companion hastily interjected herself and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for not introducing ourselves properly, especially to someone so vital to the Guardian Force. I'm Kairi and this snarky lump over here is Riku."

Skuld snorted. At least this one wasn't so bad. "Skuld. Sorry for the attitude, I just can't stand obvious liars."

 _No matter how stupidly attractive they are..._

Kairi smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. The truth is sometimes a bit difficult to explain...but if you'll grant us the time I would like to try."

The starkly earnest look in her eyes threw Skuld for a bit of a loop. What was she even implying? That the braggart over there was telling the truth? Maybe that girl was more brainwashed than she realized…

Before Skuld could offer her condolences and attempt to set the poor thing straight, Kairi spoke again, just as gently as before.

"Captain Skuld-"

"Oh, um...just call me Skuld, please."

"Skuld, maybe this is presumptuous of me as we have only just met, but I can already tell how much you care about your home here." Kairi gestured over to the lantern burning nearby. "I can sense the love that keeps that flame lit bright. It's what drives the...Darklings away, right? It seems different from a regular lantern. And you lit it, yes?"

Skuld glanced back between the lantern and her. "Yes…? It's a Lux Lantern, obviously it was lit with a wishing stone."

It was baffling. Why was she talking as if everything was some unfamiliar concept? "You...do know about wishing stones, right?"

Kairi shook her head, more confusion etched across her features.

Geez, for a traveler she didn't seem particularly...world weary. Skuld sighed. It took all types, after all. Not everyone who stepped out of the safety of their village was well-informed.

"A wishing stone is a flint made of star shards that everyone blesses with their well-wishes at a yearly festival. You've really never seen a wishing star festival…?"

Rather than offer any explanation for her naivety, Kairi repeated the name of the wishing stone slowly back to herself and smiled. "I'd love to some day."

"Right...well, why were you asking about it, again?"

"Only someone who truly believes in what she is trying to protect can wield something as powerful as that. It shows you have a strong heart even through this cruel, unforgiving night. You must have been fighting so hard for so long...I'm so glad you've survived."

There was something sorrowful in that girl's eyes, as if Kairi was deeply apologizing for some unstated transgression. It threw Skuld off balance. Here she was thinking these two were misinformed fools, but perhaps this one was more like a naive child. Endearing, positive, yet very ignorant of the world around her. Perhaps she deserved some kindness in return.

"It's...thank you, but I'm not the only one on the team. Besides, for the last few months at least it seems the number of attacks has lessened. Might be a change in the winds."

"That's wonderful. If possible I'd like to do whatever I can to help."

There was something sweetly genuine about that girl. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but Skuld felt like she could easily become friends with her, despite her questionable choice of companion. Pointing over to the weapon at the Kairi's hip, Skuld raised the obvious question.

"I take it you can fight?"

Kairi chewed at her lower lip, looking sheepishly at the ground. "I try my best, though I still have a lot to improve on."

Skuld definitely liked her. "We are always looking for people to volunteer for the Guardian Force! Do you have a specialty?"

"A little..." She looked briefly over her shoulder at Riku, who gave her a brief nod in response. It almost looked like she was checking for permission. "May I see your hand for a moment?"

Nodding, Skuld wordlessly offered her hand over and watched as Kairi cupped it in her own and concentrated. From around Kairi's hands sprung a sudden glow just like the lanterns, followed by the most comforting warmth Skuld had ever felt spreading across her skin. While she hadn't really thought she was tired before, compared to how suddenly freshly energized she felt now…Skuld could only reason that whatever that glow was must have some sort of medicinal effect. Startled, Skuld yanked her hand back before the mysterious light without flame could possibly burn her.

"What was...how did you light a fire without flint? Doesn't that...hurt?"

Kairi didn't seem upset at her yanking her hand so violently away, and only continued to smile. "It's the same power that's in your wishing stone."

"The same...but the wishing stone is just a regular flint rock. It's not really..."

"But it carries everyone's hopes. Enough people believing could make almost anything into a source of magic."

Skuld opened her mouth but nothing came out. It was overly poetic, but she wasn't _wrong._ It certainly didn't explain how that light could even exist without a flame, though, or why it had somehow rejuvenated her with the simplest touch. And... _magic?_ What was that supposed to mean?

Who was this girl? She really didn't seem like any traveler that had ever come through this sleepy town before.

"What did you come to this town for, exactly? You don't look like traders..." The entire time Skuld was spending trying to puzzle it out, the annoying one named Riku was just standing there, _actually_ pulling off the mysterious stranger look properly, unlike all the other copy-cats in the pub. It made her heart palpitate with excitement.

These two were hiding something big.

Kairi chewed on her lip again for a moment, clearly a bit nervous. "It's a bit complicated to go into the details now, but...I want to use this power to help you, if you'll let me."

It was growing later out, and Skuld was starting to feel particularly overwhelmed. This was almost strange enough that she considered pinching herself just to be sure.

"Okay, well, for now I can show you to the local pub—they've got rooms on the second floor. Come on, I'll-"

"Oh...thank you, but..." Kairi glanced uneasily back over her shoulder, her voice lowering to a mumble. "he's still not back yet..."

Riku gave her shoulder a quick pat. "He'll be fine for a bit by himself."

A chill of alarm ran up Skuld's spine at his words. "W-wait, do you still have a friend out there or something!? Night has already fallen! The Lux Lantern range is only to the edge of the-"

"Like I said, it's fine. There's no need to panic."

Ugh, this guy and his overconfidence again. Skuld jabbed an accusatory finger towards him. "I don't care about your 'I have to look cool in front of my girlfriend' complex or whatever it is you have going on, but your lost companion could be in grave danger right now!"

She expected him to at least look guilty, but he instead burst out laughing and turned to Kairi who was a slightly pinker shade than she was before.

"Do you want to break the news to Sora that you're apparently _my_ girlfriend now, or should I?"

Kairi grumbled and cast him a dirty look. "Meanie. While there was no way for you to know this, Skuld, just to be clear Riku and I are not dating. My boyfriend is the one-"

"Ugh, time is of the essence here!" Frustrated at their lack of concern, Skuld reached for her sword but Riku held out his hand to stop her, his face quite suddenly dropping all joviality to become intensely serious.

"There's really no need for that." It was spoken without any hint of suggestion, more like a command.

"But your friend is in the forest right now!"

"Yeah?"

"It's...the forest is crawling with Darklings! Why would you think it was a good idea to leave him behind like that!?"

" _He can handle it_. Besides, he said he saw something and wanted it to be a surprise so we should go ahead. I wasn't about to argue with him when he gets in one of those moods."

Skuld nearly smacked herself in the face at the thought of this idiot's sheer arrogance and stupidity in letting his friend wander off alone in the woods at nightfall. Manslaughter is more what it was.

"You let him...what could _possibly_ have been so important that he had to-"

The sudden sound of footsteps scuffling hard against the dirt path caught her attention and Skuld gasped in dumbfounded denial at the sudden sight of a young man racing up towards them from out of the dark forest. He was an unexpected bundle of sunshine energy, charging straight in without warning, absolutely beaming.

Also, he clearly wasn't in the slightest hint of trouble. In fact, the only thing he seemed to be concerned about was making sure whatever it was that he had cupped in his hands didn't tumble out during his lively sprint over.

"Hey!" He bounded up towards the pair still on the path and, with extreme gusto, planted a kiss right on Kairi's cheek. Judging by her pleasantly relieved expression, it was welcome.

Ah, so this one was the boyfriend.

"Sorry for making you wait but it's totally gonna be worth it when you see what I found..." He opened his cupped hands triumphantly, revealing a whole pile of bright red berries brimming inside. "Ta-da!"

Raspberries.

...seriously? _Raspberries_!? That was what he risked his life for…

Skuld spluttered in shock.

Kairi giggled, and with clear affection tugged on one of the multitudes of his messy spikes of hair before gently directing his chin over to the left.

"We've got company."

The moment he and Skuld made eye contact he jerked backwards in surprise. "Oh! Hi, there! Sorry I didn't see you. Guess I was just too excited."

What a shockingly upbeat personality.

"...Skuld." She still felt like words were failing her, but at least she managed to spit her name out.

He bobbed his head at her. "Sora. Er...guess you've already meet everyone else, huh? Sorry, about that." He moved to extend a hand out to her but realized immediately that they were still full of berries.

"Oh, uh...did you want some? I got a whole bunch."

Skuld could only blink back at him and shake her head. Wow. This was luckiest idiot she had ever met. At least he seemed good natured and a _ffectionately_ stupid, like a puppy or something.

Curiously, she decided to test something. "Actually...your friend Riku was just telling me how he beat up _all_ the Darklings out there..."

Rather than look perplexed at Riku's obvious lie, Sora laughed and scuffed a few pebbles over in his friend's direction in playful irritation. "Hey, I helped! Kairi, too!"

Surely they can't be telling the truth…it was impossible. No one could beat the Darklings. No one ever had.

But she couldn't deny the baffling coordination with which the two of them seemed to support such an assertion.

Pointing over towards the lantern by the gate, Kairi interjected with her own introduction. "Sora, Skuld is a Captain of the Guardian Force. She was lighting this lantern here to keep everyone safe from the shadows. It's thanks to her that this town has survived."

Skuld felt herself flushing a bit at the compliment, still not really sure what to make of everything. "I...I already told you it's not just me. I couldn't have possibly done it alone."

Sora's eyes widened in almost pure childlike awe. "Oh, wow. Does that mean you can already use light magic like Kai...ri...?"

His voice abruptly trailed off.

That was when Skuld noticed Riku was slowly approaching him with an ice glare. Riku silently moved right up to him before throwing a no-doubt purposefully intimidating arm over his shoulder. The hefty weight of it began tipping Sora sideways, putting him in a headlock.

"Sora...do remember what I warned you about before we got here?"

"Er..." He sheepishly laughed and gestured over in her direction. "S-shouldn't it be okay in this case? She seems like a good person..."

Riku sighed heavily, but didn't appear to ease up on the weight he was pushing onto his friend's shoulder. "In this case, yeah, it's probably okay. Kairi also already spoke to her a bit about things herself before you got here."

Teetering off balance, Sora struggled to escape. "Well then everything should be fine, right? What's the problem?"

" _The problem is_ , just because things work out, you're way too trusting. There wasn't any way for you to know about our previous conversation."

"Y-yeah, but-"

"Nope, no talking your way out of it. I warned you." Already having his friend sufficiently trapped, Riku rubbed the knuckles of his fist hard into the top of Sora's head.

"W-wait-" Sora squirmed ineffectively and wasn't able to throw the other boy off of him. "K-Kairi, help! The raspberries!"

Despite his loud protests, he was still laughing, so it clearly couldn't have been that bad. Skuld glanced a bit anxiously over towards Kairi, but she wasn't moving to intervene, and instead had the sort of expression that implied their roughhousing must happen quite frequently.

Besties, huh? It reminded Skuld a lot of her fellow captains.

Kairi tipped her head in apology all the same. "Sorry, it's-"

"Boys. Don't worry, I get it. Have to deal with it a lot myself, too."

Even though she giggled, Kairi still looked a touch embarrassed. Unable to wait any longer, Skuld finally gathered her wits enough to ask the question that had been burning in her throat for a while now.

"So...was that _really_ magic? Did you all _really_ defeat a Darkling?"

Kairi nodded, contritely. "I'm sorry I had to dance around the truth earlier. I always wanted to be completely honest about it but Riku rightly suggested it could be dangerous to simply announce that sort of thing to everyone without getting a sense of things first. But I feel like I can trust you."

Sora mumbled something garbled and incoherent from under Riku's arm. Somehow, Kairi seemed to understand what he was saying, and she gently scooped his hard-earned berries out of his trapped hands and folded them into a handkerchief for safekeeping. The boy offered some more gibberish in response and, with his hands now unrestricted, began doing his best to try and actually free himself.

None of this really mattered to Skuld, as she was still partially stunned by not just the revelation, but how casual a concept it seemed for all three of them. "Y-you...magic isn't...it's not _real_. I mean, I suppose there are the rumors about the Lost Vale, but..."

"Lost Vale?" Kairi tipped her head quizzically, not even acknowledging the two boys next to her who finally disentangled themselves from their play-fighting. Rather, Riku had finally decided to let his victim go.

"Um..." How had she never heard of _that_ either? "You know...the place in the valley that no one goes to? Because if you get too close your memory starts getting foggy and then some sort of invisible force pushes you away? It's kind of famous you know, as in _whole religious doctrines_ written about it as the place the Gods disappeared to after they abandoned us heathens out here. You...really haven't ever heard of it?"

"Oh..." Kairi's eyes lowered to the ground. "No, I think I know exactly where you're talking about. I just never realized that's what it would have been like for everyone..."

Skuld crossed her arms.

These three really said the strangest things…

Quite suddenly, Kairi seemed to perk up. "Skuld, um...now that Sora is here I think I'd like to take you up on your earlier offer to show us to the inn, if it's still alright?"

"It's actually a pub, not an inn – but it serves as one if need be. And of course that's alright. It is getting a bit uncomfortably late anyway." Skuld hoisted her satchel back up on her shoulder and nodded her head up the path towards the center of town. "It's not too far this way."

"Good. There's...quite a bit I'd still like to tell you, if you are willing to listen. It may be a bit of a long story, though..."

"At this point I'm far too curious to turn you down. I'll even treat you to a cup of Cid's Specialty Cocoa! Pretty much a necessity for listening to long tales around a fire. If you like, I can introduce you to the other Captains. They should be meeting up there later anyway."

Sora grinned quite eagerly at this proposition, doing his best to smooth his messy hair into slightly less of one after his friend's assault. "See, Riku? I told you see was a good person."

At the mention of his name, Skuld half twisted around to make eye contact with the other boy. Perhaps she owed this one an apology for judging him too harshly. Unlike the other shallow imitators, it seemed this one actually did have quite a fascinating mystery about him to unravel…

She made a mental note to buy him an extra round later.

He seemed to notice her staring, and the brief nod he returned sent a wave of heat rush up to her face. Skuld abruptly spun back around, clearing her throat. "T-this way."

After marching on ahead a few paces, Skuld chanced another glance backwards at the trio following along. It almost felt if she took her eyes off of them for too long they would disappear into the ether like a dream.

Kairi handed the handkerchief of berries back to Sora, much to his absolute delight. Cheering, one of his hands reached for the makeshift bag, the other grabbed hers tightly. She giggled and give him a sweet little peck on the cheek.

"I didn't thank you for picking them yet, did I?"

"No problem. Think they'll go with cocoa?"

"Um...well..." Kairi's hesitation spoke volumes. "I suppose it's worth a try at least?"

Skuld tried to stifle her laughter with her hand. "I'm sure Cid can keep them fresh for you when you decide you want them."

Sora shouted his gratitude over to her, his smile never seeming to fade.

The two of them then continued to stroll merrily along, hand-in-hand, eyes focused only on each other. It was kind of adorable. Riku was following along close by, keeping his eye on the two of them like some kind of protective older brother.

Maybe...that meant he was single? Skuld tried not to think too hard about the possibility.

There was something refreshing and bright about all of them, but what it was exactly Skuld couldn't put her finger on.

All she had really known her whole life was the constant struggle to cling to whatever humanity could be found amid the oppressive terror of the night. She had never once even considered striding down the lantern lit streets at night, laughing and chatting freely without stopping to question any shifting shadow or unexplained sound.

Her heart fluttered in a terribly unfamiliar way. A good way.

The wind that these three had flown in on...it was so different, so lively, so... _free._ Things were about to change, she could already tell. For the first time, the only time she could ever really remember, Skuld actually felt it.

Hope.

Whatever new world was waiting for her, only time could tell.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you one final time for your patience, support and kind words.**

 **I left the ending of this story a bit open because I am still toying with the idea of some potential sequels or short stories set in the same universe, but I haven't decided on anything concrete yet. I hope I haven't forgotten to wrap up anything important, though. If I have somehow let something slip my mind, feel free to point it out so I can try to address it with an edit if necessary.**

 **The fact that I even got this much attention on such an on the whim story is still amazing to me.**

 **As always, take care, and maybe I'll see you down the road in some future project.**

 **-A. Moth**


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